The number of people without electricity has roughly halved since 2000, as grid expansion and cheap solar panels reached millions of homes. Sub-Saharan Africa is the exception, where the number has risen, mainly because population growth has outpaced new connections. Access is measured by whether a household can power basic needs such as lighting, phone charging and refrigeration. Without it, families rely on kerosene, candles and diesel generators, which are expensive, polluting and a fire risk. Electricity underpins clinics, schools and businesses, so the gap shapes health and income as well as comfort.

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.