Millions of people are needlessly dying because a fifth of the world’s population does not have access to electric light, Royal Philips, the global leader in lighting, warns today. More than 1.3 billion people  are trapped in light poverty as they don’t have access to electricity. Most of those affected resort to kerosene lamps and candles to light their homes and businesses. But these primitive light sources claim the lives of 1.5 million people  every year through respiratory illnesses and fires – the same number killed annually by HIV-related diseases.