Inclusive growth, as a key contemporary approach to sustainable economic development, emphasizes the simultaneous achievement of economic growth, the expansion of opportunities for participation, and the equitable distribution of the benefits of growth. The main objective of this study is to examine the effect of energy consumption on inclusive growth in Iran over the period 1990–2024. To measure inclusive growth, a multidimensional index was constructed based on economic, social, and infrastructural components. For this purpose, after harmonizing the direction of the components and normalizing them, the final index was obtained by calculating the mean of the normalized components and was subsequently rescaled to a range of 0 to 100. Given the dynamic nature of inclusive growth and the potential endogeneity between energy consumption and inclusive growth, the empirical model was estimated using a two-step time-series generalized method of moments (GMM) approach. Two-stage least squares (2SLS) was also employed as a complementary robustness check. The results indicate that the lagged value of inclusive growth has a positive and statistically significant effect, confirming the dynamic specification of the model as well as the persistence and temporal dependence of the inclusive growth index. Energy consumption also exerts a positive and statistically significant effect on inclusive growth. Accordingly, reliable and efficient access to energy can promote inclusive growth by strengthening productive capacity, employment, business activity, and household access to essential services. Furthermore, control of corruption has a positive and statistically significant effect on inclusive growth, highlighting the importance of quality of governance, transparency, and the efficient allocation of resources. These findings suggest that developing energy infrastructure, improving energy efficiency, and promoting equitable access to energy, together with greater transparency and stronger control of corruption, can help create the conditions necessary for achieving more inclusive growth in Iran.