En Route for the Accomplishment of SDG-7 in South Asian Countries: A Retrospective Study

Abstract

With one-fifth of the world’s population, South Asian nations are home to 37 percent of the world’s poor and 50 percent of the world’s hungry children. This region experiences enormous development and infrastructure challenges. The paper investigates the progress of South Asian countries on Sustainable Development Goal-7, which is associated with access to modern energy to all. The present research also highlights significant issues and challenges behind the slow progress of South Asian countries on SDG-7. This study indicates that Bhutan and India are top-performing countries; however, Pakistan and Afghanistan are lower-performing countries on SDG-7 among all other South Asian countries. It has also been observed that South Asian countries have a narrow focus on renewable energy. South Asian nations will address their energy shortages issue and save a lot of money by using renewable energy instead of importing hydrocarbons. South Asian nations must diversify their main energy consumption patterns to achieve SDG-7. They may address their energy concerns at the policy, economic, technological, and information levels and boost cross-border energy commerce.