These new partnerships arc working to provide the most cost-cfTcctivc electrification solutions, especially in remote communities that arc often the most disadvantaged in terms of electricity access. Though progress in electrification continued at the regional level, it slowed in the recent period, attributable to population growth in rural areas and the ongoing difficulty of extending services to remote areas. The rate of progress has declined in countries with the largest deficits, namely India, Bangladesh, and Myanmar, while the lowest access rates arc found among a number of Pacific Island and least developed State.4 Though urban areas in most economics have achieved universal access, rural areas lag behind, and, in a few cases with growing rural populations, rural electrification rates are falling.