Asia-Pacific countries are progressing across the three main pillars of sustainable energy – access, efficiency, and deployment of renewable energy. Bringing electricity to growing populations of Asia- Pacific is among governments’ priorities and most countries have established clear policy targets that are increasingly backed by supportive programmes and economic measures. However, many challenges remain, especially with regards to bridging the gap between urban and rural areas. Other challenges include low quantity, quality, and reliability of the power supply, implementation of and compliance with regulations, as well as affordability of energy. Further, almost half of the population is lacking access to clean fuels and technologies for cooking. The region has demonstrated notable progress in improving its energy efficiency indicators, however large and sustained improvements, in both supply- and demand-side energy efficiency are still needed to meet the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7 energy intensity targets. More attention is needed for final energy consumption across end-use sectors to be covered by standards supporting the uptake of latest technologies, with improved enforcement. Asia-Pacific has emerged as the global leader in renewable energy investments, installed capacity, and consumption. Modern renewables are rapidly gaining traction and promising upward trends in production are being observed, underpinned by with large increases in hydropower production. Wind and solar power production are also increasing at exponential rates, though have yet to compete with more conventional energy sources. As a result of rapid demand growth, the share of renewable energy in the energy mix is declining rather than increasing in the region. DOWNLOAD SDG PROFILE For more data and regional analysis, access the Asia-Pacific SDG Gateway.