Sustainable Development Goals Report – serie

This year's report presents how far we have come towards reaching the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It warns that with just 6 years remaining to the 2030 deadline, and nearly a year from reaffirmed commitments at the SDG Summit, current progress falls far short of what is required to meet the targets outlined in the 2030 Agenda. The scarring effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, escalating conflicts, geopolitical tensions, and growing climate chaos are hitting SDG progress hard. The report reveals that only 17 per cent of the SDG targets are on track, with nearly half showing minimal or moderate progress, and over one-third stalling or regressing. The report documents increasing global inequalities, with an additional 23 million people pushed into extreme poverty and over 100 million more suffering from hunger in 2022 compared to 2019. For the first time this century, per-capita GDP growth in half of the world's most vulnerable nations is slower than that in advanced economies. Overall global health progress has decelerated alarmingly since 2015. Many countries have experienced declines in student math and reading skills. Wars are upending millions of lives. The number of forcibly displaced people has reached an unprecedented level, nearly 120 million by May 2024 and civilian casualties spiked by 72 per cent between 2022 and 2023. 2023 was the warmest year on record, with global temperatures nearing the critical 1.5°C threshold. Greenhouse gas emissions and atmospheric CO2 concentrations continue to reach new highs.

The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2025 marks the tenth annual stocktaking of global progress toward the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. With only five years left, it finds that while millions of lives have improved, the pace of change is insufficient to meet all the Goals by 2030. Since 2015, there have been major gains in education, maternal and child health, digital access, and disease prevention. Electricity access has expanded, and renewable energy is the fastest-growing power source. However, progress remains fragile and unequal. Millions still endure extreme poverty, hunger, and a lack of basic services, marginalized groups face systemic disadvantages. Conflicts, climate chaos, inequality, and rising debt continue to impede progress. Success stories – including universal electricity access in 45 countries and the elimination of neglected tropical diseases in 54 countries – prove rapid progress is possible. The report calls for urgent action in six priority areas: food systems, energy access, digital transformation, education, jobs and social protection, and climate and biodiversity, supported by stronger global cooperation and investment.

This year marks the start of the Decade of Action to deliver the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. It is a critical period to advance a shared vision and accelerate responses to the world's gravest challenges, from eliminating poverty and hunger to reversing climate change. Yet, in only a brief period of time, the precipitous spread of the novel coronavirus turned a public health emergency into one of the worst international crises of our lifetimes, changing the world as we know it. Now, due to COVID-19, an unprecedented health, economic and social crisis is threatening lives and livelihoods, making the achievement of Goals even more challenging.