Who Has Access to AC?

An estimated 2.4 billion people living in hot climates are expected to lack access to cooling systems by 2030, according to the latest projections of the International Energy Agency (IEA). As prolonged, record-breaking heat waves become the new normal, air conditioning offers protection not only from discomfort but also from serious health risks. However, the availability and affordability of air conditioning remains unequal around the world, with richer households and countries tending to have more AC units.

Data from an online Statista Consumer Insights survey highlights wide disparities in household AC ownership. In Japan, 84 percent of respondents reported having air conditioning at home. In the United States and China, the majority of households also have access to AC systems. By contrast, in the United Kingdom, only 18 percent of respondents said they had air conditioning - likely due to the country’s historically temperate climate, despite its high income levels.

This national survey data, however, can obscure inequalities within countries. In the U.S., for example, survey data from the Kaiser Family Foundation reveals that Black- and Hispanic-led households are less likely to have air conditioning than white- and Asian-led households, often due to financial constraints. This becomes a health inequality issue too, as inadequate access to cooling raises the risk of heat-related illnesses and deaths.

The problem intersects with broader concerns about energy poverty, which is commonly associated with a lack of affordable heating in winter. Yet now, analysts warn that the use of air conditioning is increasingly becoming a driver of energy poverty too. The Euro-Mediterranean Centre on Climate Change (CMCC) defines a household to be living in energy poverty if heating and cooling costs exceed 10 percent of its income or total spending.