The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were created in 2015 by all United Nations (UN) members as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. These 17 goals aim to bring peace and prosperity for people and the planet, address climate change, and protect oceans and forests. The SDGs show how environmental, social, and economic issues are connected. Sustainability is central to the SDGs, but achieving the goals has been difficult. A 2025 report by the UN Secretary-General urges people to act quickly to stay on track. Problems like rising inequality, climate change, and loss of wildlife threaten progress. The COVID-19 pandemic from 2020 to 2023 made these challenges worse, and some areas, such as Asia, faced major setbacks.
Some goals work well together, such as SDG 13 (climate action) and goals like SDG 3 (health), SDG 7 (clean energy), SDG 11 (cities), SDG 12 (responsible use of resources), and SDG 14 (oceans). However, some goals may conflict, such as ending hunger and protecting the environment. There are also concerns about the large number of goals compared to the previous eight Millennium Development Goals. This has made it harder to track progress and focus on environmental issues.
The SDGs have not had much political influence and have struggled to change policies or institutions. Funding is a major challenge, as achieving the goals would require large amounts of money worldwide. Private investment and sustainable financing are also important for success. Some countries have made progress, showing that global cooperation can help achieve sustainable development. To reach the SDGs, the world must focus on environmental sustainability, understand how the goals are connected, and find ways to work together across different areas.
The short titles of the 17 SDGs are:
Principles
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are goals agreed on by governments worldwide. These goals are not legally required but have specific targets and a set time to achieve them. They are similar to international guidelines but are more detailed and aim for significant progress. The United Nations introduced the SDGs in 2015 as part of the "2030 Agenda." This plan describes the SDGs as a very ambitious and aimed at making big changes, requiring strong actions with large scale and effort.
The SDGs apply to all countries, unlike the earlier Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which focused mainly on developing nations. The SDGs address three areas: the environment, the economy, and society. Another difference is that the SDGs were created with more openness and transparency, allowing input from people in different communities, rather than being decided only by government officials.
The SDGs stress inclusiveness both within countries and globally. In national settings, this means helping groups that face exclusion and inequality, such as those with disabilities, women, girls, youth, elderly, children, and refugees. On a global level, it focuses on the least developed countries.
At the center of the SDGs is the promise by United Nations members to "Leave No One Behind" (LNOB). This means helping the people and countries that need the most support first. The LNOB idea is complex and can be interpreted in different ways. A 2024 study found that in 77 voluntary national reviews, people with disabilities were most often identified as needing the most help (more than 70%), followed by women and girls (more than 60%), youth (about 50%), elderly (45%), children (more than 40%), and refugees and migrants (about 30%).
A complete list of United Nations abbreviations is available. Some important ones related to the SDGs include:
- UN DESA: United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs
- STI: Science, Technology and Innovation
- HLPF: High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development
- SIDS: Small Island Developing States
Structure
In July 2017, a United Nations resolution published a list of 169 targets and indicators for the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Each SDG usually has 8 to 12 targets, and each target has 1 to 4 indicators to measure progress. On average, each target has 1.5 indicators. Targets can be outcome targets (goals to achieve) or means of implementation targets (ways to reach goals). Means of implementation targets were added later to address concerns from some countries about how to achieve the SDGs. Goal 17 focuses entirely on how the SDGs will be achieved.
Targets are numbered differently. Outcome targets use numbers, while means of implementation targets use lowercase letters. For example, SDG 6 has 8 targets. The first six are outcome targets labeled 6.1 to 6.6. The last two are means of implementation targets labeled 6.a and 6.b.
However, the link between means of implementation and outcomes is not well understood. Means of implementation targets (like Target 6.a) are not clearly defined and are not measured consistently. Tracking their progress is also difficult.
Indicators are tools used by decision-makers to monitor progress toward SDG targets. They are critical for achieving the SDGs and determining whether the world is closer to meeting the goals by 2030. Governments use indicators to measure their own progress and report it in voluntary reviews. Indicators are now used at all levels of governance. As of 2025, 234 official indicators are in use.
Each target is usually measured with 1.5 indicators that track changes in numbers, rates, or amounts. About 62% of targets have only one indicator, meaning progress on those 105 indicators directly reflects progress on those 105 targets.
Accurate, timely, and reliable data is essential for implementing the SDGs. This data must be broken down by factors like income, gender, age, disability, and location. For example, the Millennium Development Goal 1 aimed to halve the number of people in extreme poverty, while SDG 1 aims to end all forms of poverty everywhere. This reflects the principle of "leaving no one behind."
The United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD) website lists all official indicators updated through the 51st session of the Statistical Commission in March 2020. Indicators vary in how well their methods are developed and how much data is available globally. Initially, some indicators (Tier 3) had no clear methods or standards. Later, the framework was updated, and some Tier 3 indicators were removed, replaced, or improved.
Indicators are developed and reviewed annually by the Inter-agency and Expert Group on SDG Indicators (IAEG-SDGs). Statisticians chose the indicators after the SDGs were set, but their choices were influenced by government instructions. Powerful governments had significant influence over the selection process.
The indicator framework was reviewed at the 51st session of the Statistical Commission in 2020 and will be reviewed again in 2025. At that session, 36 changes to the global indicator framework were proposed. Some indicators were replaced, revised, or deleted. Other changes occurred between October 2018 and April 2020. Measuring these indicators remains challenging.
For each indicator, the IAEG-SDGs assigned a custodian agency and focal point responsible for developing methods, collecting data, and reporting results. The division of indicators was based on existing responsibilities and organizational capacity. For example, the World Bank became a key data provider due to its large-scale data collection expertise. It was the custodian agency for 20 indicators and involved in 22 others.
Details of 17 goals and targets
SDG 1 is to "end poverty in all its forms everywhere." Achieving SDG 1 would end extreme poverty globally by 2030. One of its indicators is the percentage of people living below the poverty line. Data is analyzed by sex, age, employment status, and location (urban or rural). A key indicator is the percentage of people living below the international and national poverty line. Measuring how many people have access to social protection systems and basic services, such as clean water and healthcare, also shows the level of poverty.
SDG 2 is to: "End hunger, achieve food security, improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture." Indicators for this goal include the percentage of people who eat healthy diets, the percentage of people who experience severe food insecurity, and the percentage of children under five years old who are too short for their age due to poor nutrition.
SDG 3 is to: "Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all ages." Important indicators include life expectancy, the number of children and mothers who die before age five or during childbirth, and the number of deaths caused by road accidents, tobacco use, and suicide.
SDG 4 is to: "Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all." Indicators include how many students attend and finish primary school, how many students participate in higher education, and whether schools have access to electricity, the internet, computers, clean water, and toilets. Data is collected to compare groups such as boys and girls, people in rural or urban areas, and those from different wealth levels or with disabilities.
SDG 5 is to: "Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls." Indicators include the number of women in government positions, the number of laws that protect women’s rights, and the number of cases of forced marriage or female genital mutilation.
SDG 6 is to: "Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all." The Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) by WHO and UNICEF tracks progress on this goal. Key indicators include the percentage of people with access to clean drinking water and safe sanitation. In 2017, the JMP reported that 4.5 billion people lack safely managed sanitation. Another indicator measures how much wastewater is treated safely.
SDG 7 is to "Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all." One indicator is the percentage of people with access to electricity. Progress has been made in countries like India, Bangladesh, and Kenya. Other indicators include the use of renewable energy and energy efficiency.
SDG 8 is to: "Promote sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all." Important indicators include economic growth in developing countries, the average income per person, youth unemployment rates, and the number of women working compared to men.
SDG 9 is to: "Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization, and foster innovation." Indicators include the percentage of people working in manufacturing, the percentage of people living in areas with mobile phone networks, and the percentage of people with internet access. Another indicator measures carbon dioxide emissions per unit of economic activity.
SDG 10 is to: "Reduce inequality within and among countries." Important indicators include differences in income, gender and disability-related challenges, and policies that support people moving to new places.
SDG 11 is to: "Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable." Key indicators include the number of people living in urban slums, the percentage of people with access to public transportation, and the amount of land used per person.
SDG 12 is to: "Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns." Indicators include the number of national policies that promote sustainable practices, the use of fossil fuel subsidies, and efforts to increase recycling and reduce reliance on global plastic waste trade.
SDG 13 is to: "Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts by regulating emissions and promoting developments in renewable energy." In 2021 to early 2023, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) published its Sixth Assessment Report, which reviews scientific and economic information about climate change.
SDG 14 is to: "Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas, and marine resources for sustainable development." Current efforts to protect oceans and marine life are not enough. Rising ocean temperatures, oxygen loss, and ocean acidification are harming marine environments.
SDG 15 is to: "Protect, restore, and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss." Indicators include the percentage of remaining forest area, the rate of desertification, and the risk of species extinction.
SDG 16 is to: "Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all, and build effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions at all levels." Indicators include the percentage of children who are officially registered at birth and the prevalence of bribery.
An inclusive society has systems that support diversity, address the needs of vulnerable groups, and allow people to participate in decision-making.
SDG 17 is to: "Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development." International cooperation is essential to achieve the other goals. Partnerships between governments, businesses, and civil society help share knowledge, technology, and resources. Improving cooperation between countries in the Global North and South is also important.
Public relations
The 2030 Agenda did not give special power to share the SDGs, but groups outside of government, both international and local, worked to spread information about the SDGs. UN agencies that work together in the UN Development Group chose to support a separate campaign called Project Everyone to share the new SDGs with more people. This campaign, Project Everyone, received help from companies and other international groups.
Communication experts used the text written by UN diplomats to create simple symbols for each of the 17 goals. They also changed the name "The 17 Sustainable Development Goals" to "Global Goals" and held meetings and events to teach people around the world about the Global Goals.
The Aarhus Convention is a UN agreement created in 2001. It was made to help people get involved in making decisions about the environment. The convention has focused on sharing information through social media and including young people in efforts related to the SDGs.
In 2019 and again in 2021, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres chose 17 public figures to be SDG advocates. These people help raise awareness, encourage stronger actions, and push for faster progress on the SDGs. The co-chairs are Mia Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados, and Justin Trudeau, former Prime Minister of Canada.
Global Goals Week is an event held every September for one week. It brings together over 100 partners to take action, share information, and hold others accountable for the SDGs. The event started in 2016 and often happens at the same time as Climate Week NYC.
The Arctic Film Festival is a yearly event organized by HF Productions and supported by the SDGs' Partnership Platform. It began in 2019 and is planned to happen every September in Longyearbyen, Svalbard, Norway.
History
The Post-2015 Development Agenda was a process from 2012 to 2015 led by the United Nations. Its goal was to create a new global development plan to replace the Millennium Development Goals, which ended in 2015.
In 1983, the United Nations formed the World Commission on Environment and Development, later called the Brundtland Commission. This group defined sustainable development as "meeting the needs of the present without harming the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." In 1992, the United Nations held the first United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, known as the Earth Summit, in Rio de Janeiro. At this event, a plan called Agenda 21 was created and approved.
In 2012, the United Nations held the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, also called Rio+20. This meeting was a 20-year follow-up to the Earth Summit. In 2011, Colombia suggested the idea of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) during a preparation event in Indonesia. Later that year, the United Nations Department of Public Information discussed this idea at its 64th NGO Conference in Bonn, Germany. A document from this time proposed 17 SDGs and related targets. Before Rio+20, many discussions took place about the SDGs. At the Rio+20 Conference, member countries agreed to a resolution titled "The Future We Want." Key topics included ending poverty, improving energy access, water and sanitation, health, and human settlements.
In January 2013, the United Nations General Assembly created an Open Working Group (OWG) with 30 members to choose specific SDGs. In September 2014, the OWG presented a proposal with 8 SDGs and 169 targets to the General Assembly. On December 5, 2014, the General Assembly approved the Secretary General’s Synthesis Report, which confirmed that the post-2015 SDG plan would be based on the OWG’s suggestions.
In 2015, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) officially created the SDGs as part of the Post-2015 Development Agenda. These goals were formally written and approved in a UNGA resolution called the 2030 Agenda. On July 6, 2017, the UNGA passed a resolution that added specific targets for each SDG and provided ways to measure progress. Most targets aim to be completed by 2030, though some have no end date.
On September 25, 2015, 193 countries in the UN General Assembly adopted the 2030 Development Agenda, titled "Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development." This plan has 92 sections. Section 59 lists the 17 SDGs, 169 targets, and 232 indicators.
The United Nations process involved all 193 member states and global civil society. The resolution is a broad agreement between countries that serves as the Post-2015 Development Agenda. The SDGs are based on the principles from Resolution A/RES/66/288, titled "The Future We Want," which was a non-binding document created after the Rio+20 Conference in 2012.
Implementation
In 2016, countries around the world began working to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This process is sometimes called "localizing the SDGs," which means making the goals work at the local level. In 2019, António Guterres, the United Nations secretary-general, called for a "Decade of Action" to reach the SDGs by 2030. This period runs from 2020 to 2030. During this time, the UN secretary-general will organize yearly meetings to help drive progress on the goals.
Two main groups are involved in achieving the SDGs: state actors and non-state actors. State actors include national governments and local authorities, while non-state actors include businesses and organizations that work with communities.
Most people agree that progress on all the SDGs will be slow if women's empowerment and gender equality are not prioritized. The SDGs encourage leaders in government and business to work together to achieve gender equality. Reports from groups like the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), UN Women, and the World Pensions Forum show that investing in women and girls helps economies grow. These investments often lead to outcomes that go beyond their original goals.
Gender equality is included in the SDG framework by collecting as much data as possible that shows differences between males and females.
Education for sustainable development (ESD) is part of Target 4.7 in the SDG on education. UNESCO promotes Global Citizenship Education (GCED) as a way to support ESD. ESD is important for achieving all 17 SDGs.
Culture is directly mentioned in SDG 11, Target 4, which focuses on protecting cultural and natural heritage. Culture also affects other SDGs. For example, it influences goals related to the environment (SDGs 11, 12, and 16), economic growth (SDG 8), and inclusion (SDGs 11 and 16).
SDGs 1 to 6 address health differences, especially in developing countries. These goals focus on global public health, poverty, hunger, education, gender equality, and access to clean water and sanitation. Public health officials can use these goals to create plans for smaller projects in their communities.
The connection between the SDGs and public health is strong and well-known:
– SDG 1: People living in extreme poverty often face worse health outcomes. A child born into poverty is twice as likely to die before age five compared to a child from a wealthier family.
– SDG 2: Hunger and malnutrition harm health. The World Health Organization estimates that 12.9% of people in developing countries are undernourished.
– SDG 4 and 5: Unequal access to education limits public health efforts. Children born to mothers without education have lower survival rates than children born to mothers with education.
Synergies between the SDGs help avoid conflicts between goals. For example, climate action (SDG 13) works well with goals related to health (SDG 3), clean energy (SDG 7), cities (SDG 11), responsible consumption (SDG 12), and oceans (SDG 14).
To meet SDG 13 and other goals, long-term investments in green technology are needed. These investments should reduce carbon emissions in energy, industry, and transportation; protect natural resources like forests and oceans; and train people for jobs in a climate-friendly economy.
Since 2015, many international organizations have committed to the SDGs. Examples include the UN General Assembly, World Trade Organization, African Development Bank, UN Economic and Social Council, UN Security Council, and Asian Development Bank. However, some organizations, like the World Bank, focus on only some of the goals that match their work best.
In general, the SDGs may not be a top priority for international organizations that have many other responsibilities. These organizations often focus on specific areas rather than seeing the SDGs as a unified plan. This leads to some organizations choosing only the goals that fit their work best.
Funding
The United Nations estimates that Africa would need about $1.3 trillion each year to reach the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), considering the continent's growing population. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) also says that $50 billion might be needed just to help countries deal with the costs of climate change. The IMF has also offered support to developing countries to help achieve the SDGs.
Estimates for providing clean water and sanitation for all people worldwide have reached as high as $200 billion. The World Bank explains that these numbers should be calculated for each country and updated regularly because needs can change over time.
In 2014, a group called UNCTAD estimated that achieving the United Nations' goals would cost about $2.5 trillion each year. A 2018 study by the Basel Institute of Commons and Economics found that reaching all SDGs would require between $2.5 trillion and $5.0 trillion each year.
A 2020 report said that in developing countries, the financial gap to achieve the SDGs was estimated to be $2.5 trillion per year before the COVID-19 pandemic. This gap was expected to increase to $4.2 trillion in 2020 alone. For example, in Indonesia, the cost to reach the SDGs was estimated at $4.7 trillion in 2021. This same report noted that the SDGs also represent a business opportunity. It said that the value of this opportunity could be as high as $12 trillion each year in four areas: food, cities, energy and materials, and health and well-being. Developing countries would account for more than half of this value.
Several efforts have been made at the United Nations to fund the SDGs. These include the Addis Ababa Action Agenda on Financing for Development from 2015 and the Secretary-General Strategy for Financing the 2030 Agenda from 2018. In 2017, the United Nations created the Inter-agency Task Force on Financing for Development to encourage public discussion about funding. Multilateral development banks also started a program called "From Billions to Trillions: Transforming Development Finance" in 2015.
In 2018, the top five sources of development funding were identified as: new debt from OECD countries, military spending, increased debt from OECD countries, money sent by expats to developing countries, and official development assistance (ODA). Private investments, such as green bonds and SDG bonds, are also options for funding development.
In 2017, the Rockefeller Foundation said that the key to achieving the SDGs is to direct more of the $200+ trillion in annual private investments toward development efforts. It also said that philanthropy plays an important role in encouraging this change. A group of large funders at a workshop hosted by the Rockefeller Foundation said that without major changes in how funding is managed, achieving the SDGs may not be possible.
A study published in 2022 found that there is little evidence that governments have significantly changed their budgets to support the SDGs, either for their own countries or for international cooperation. The SDGs have not greatly changed how public money is spent, except in some local government cases. National budgets are difficult to change quickly.
Capital stewardship is expected to help move the SDG agenda forward by encouraging investments that support sustainability across all types of assets. The idea of SDG-driven investment became more popular among institutional investors in 2019.
Between 2017 and 2019, the World Pensions Council held meetings with pension board members and investment leaders from G20 countries. Many participants said they were working to use the SDGs to guide their investment decisions, especially in areas like climate action, gender equality, and social fairness.
Some studies warn that the SDGs may be implemented unevenly and that private investments could face political risks, especially if public funding remains limited.
Results and outcomes
Most or all of the goals and targets set for 2030 are unlikely to be reached. Countries are especially struggling to reduce inequality (SDG 10), with many measures showing that inequality has grown since 2023.
Rising inequality, climate change, and loss of biodiversity are major problems that affect many of the SDGs. There is also a conflict between protecting Earth’s natural limits and the goals to improve wealth and well-being. This conflict has been described as: "The world’s social and natural systems cannot support the goals for universal well-being found in the SDGs."
Because of economic and social challenges, many countries are making less progress toward the SDGs. For example, in Asia, data shows slower progress on goals 2, 8, 10, 11, and 15. To still reach the SDGs, experts suggest: "Set priorities, focus on the environmental goals, understand how the SDGs are connected, and find ways to support them together."
In 2022, a research project studied how the SDGs influence politics and their ability to guide change. The project reviewed over 3,000 scientific articles, mostly from the social sciences. The SDGs’ influence on politics can be divided into three types: discursive, normative, or institutional effects. When all three types are present in a political system, it is called transformative impact, which is the main goal of the 2030 Agenda.
Discursive effects mean changes in global and national discussions that align more closely with the SDGs. Normative effects involve changes in laws and policies to match the SDGs. Institutional effects include creating new groups or programs focused on the SDGs or adjusting existing ones.
The review found that the SDGs have had limited success in creating major political change so far. Some discursive changes have occurred, such as the widespread use of the idea of "leaving no one behind" in speeches by leaders and activists. However, there is concern that the SDGs are not helping societies protect the environment on a global scale. This is because many countries focus more on goals related to economic and social issues (like SDGs 8 to 12) than on goals focused on the environment (like SDGs 13 to 15), which aligns with their long-term national plans.
The COVID-19 pandemic slowed progress toward the SDGs. It was described as "the worst human and economic crisis in a lifetime." The pandemic especially harmed progress on SDG 3 (health), SDG 4 (education), SDG 6 (clean water and sanitation), SDG 10 (reducing inequality), and SDG 17 (global partnerships).
At the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development in July 2023, speakers noted that the pandemic and other global crises, like climate change, threatened progress made on the SDGs over many years.
There is a risk that countries will focus only on certain SDGs, which can create conflicts and harm policy consistency. As a result, some goals are not given enough attention. For example, global and domestic inequality was only included as SDG 10, and this goal is still not strongly supported or prioritized.
In 2020, researchers studied the voluntary national reviews of 19 countries to see which SDGs are most often addressed in national policies. They found that SDGs 1 (ending poverty) and 8 (economic growth) are most frequently prioritized. Some experts say that many countries lack the resources to fully meet all SDGs, making prioritization necessary.
Governments are choosing to focus on certain SDGs, and this choice depends partly on a country’s level of economic development. The goals that are prioritized often match the goals countries had before the SDGs were created. This suggests that the SDGs do not directly guide national policies but are used to support existing priorities.
In 2019, five reports on the 17 SDGs were published. Three came from the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), one from the Bertelsmann Foundation, and one from the European Union. A review of these reports found that some goals, such as biodiversity, peace, and social inclusion, were not given enough attention. The Basel Institute of Commons and Economics explained this by quoting the SDGs motto: "Leaving no one behind."
Monitoring progress
Countries can perform voluntary national reviews (VNRs) to show how they are making progress toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and to share their experiences with others. VNRs follow common guidelines created by the United Nations, which makes it easier to compare progress across countries. For example, the guidelines require countries to include a section about the "Leave No One Behind" principle, explaining how they are taking action to help everyone. Annual reports summarize VNRs from many countries. The ninth annual VNR Synthesis Report was released in 2024 and included important experiences and trends from 36 countries.
To help track progress on the SDGs, the online SDG Tracker was launched in June 2018. It displays data from all SDG indicators and uses information from the Our World in Data database, which is based at the University of Oxford. The Tracker covers the entire world and shows whether progress is being made toward the SDGs. It aims to make the data about the 17 goals clear and accessible to many people. The SDG Tracker shows that, as of early 2019, the world is far from achieving the goals.
The Global SDG Index and Dashboards Report is the first publication that measures how well countries are doing on all 17 SDGs. This annual report is created together by Bertelsmann Stiftung and SDSN. It includes rankings and dashboards that highlight major challenges each country faces in implementing the SDGs. It also analyzes how governments are working to achieve the goals.
The SDGs are monitored by the United Nations' High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), which holds an annual meeting under the United Nations Economic and Social Council. This group is meant to be a regular place for governments and non-government representatives to review global progress toward sustainable development. The United Nations Secretary-General publishes high-level progress reports on all SDGs.
The HLPF faces challenges because of weak political leadership and differences in national interests. It has not been successful in creating unity across systems. As a result, this reporting system mainly serves as a platform for voluntary reporting and learning from other governments.
Criticism
Experts have found problems in how the SDGs are designed, including the number of goals, the way goals are organized (such as not being in a clear order), how well the goals work together, how clear or measurable the targets are, the language used, and their focus on economic growth as a main goal.
The SDGs may not change the current situation and might not fully achieve a strong development plan. The current situation has been described as separating human well-being from environmental protection, not changing how decisions are made, and not addressing the causes of poverty, environmental harm, or fairness issues.
A 2015 article in The Economist said that having 169 targets for the SDGs is too many, calling them confusing and disorganized compared to the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
There are concerns about the large number of indicators used to track progress and the high cost of monitoring, which is estimated to be in the billions of dollars. More training and support are needed to help developing countries build better data systems. Some experts say the number of indicators should be reduced, while others believe more and more varied indicators are needed.
Some indicators, like those based on gross domestic product (GDP), are controversial. GDP is used in 17 indicators to measure progress toward 9 goals and 15 targets, even though many of these goals and targets do not mention GDP. Experts suggest creating new measures that could help track progress better and eventually replace GDP. Target 17.19 of SDG 17 already provides a way to organize this effort, emphasizing the need to use measures like well-being, happiness, or life satisfaction instead of GDP.
Experts have criticized the SDGs for not recognizing that protecting the planet, people, and prosperity are all connected parts of Earth’s systems. They also say the SDGs focus too much on economic growth as the key to achieving all parts of sustainable development and do not prioritize protecting the environment. In areas still using fossil fuels, the growth of AI technology has created economic reasons to invest in clean energy. However, the expansion of AI has also increased emissions, showing a conflict between economic growth and environmental goals.
The SDGs include three goals focused on the environment (Goal 13, 14, and 15, which cover climate, land, and oceans), but there is no single goal that focuses on the environment or the planet as a whole. The SDGs do not directly aim to protect the planet’s health.
Environmental limits and the boundaries that Earth can handle are not well covered in the SDGs. For example, the way the SDGs are structured may lead to a situation where environmental protection and SDG goals conflict, with many indicators in even the environment-focused goals focusing more on social or economic outcomes. This could accidentally encourage harming the environment in the name of development.
Some studies say the SDGs’ focus on economic growth and market-based solutions harms the planet and fairness. Both protecting the planet and achieving fairness would require limits on economic growth.
Scientists have suggested ways to improve the SDGs’ environmental focus:
– Monitoring key factors to better understand how environmental and social systems work together.
– Paying more attention to natural systems in different areas, such as coastal rivers or mountains.
– Understanding how changes in one place or time can affect other places or future generations.
There are concerns about the SDGs’ ethical direction, as they are based on ideas about development that emphasize human control over nature, individual success, competition, and the role of the market in improving society.
A review study from 2022 found that the SDGs might even cause problems by creating the illusion of progress through busy political actions, while real progress is slow or absent.
The trade-offs among the 17 SDGs could make it hard to achieve them all. For example:
– How to end hunger while protecting the environment (SDG 2.3 and 15.2).
– How to grow the economy while protecting the environment (SDG 9.2 and 9.4).
– How to reduce income inequality while growing the economy (SDG 10.1 and 8.1).
The SDGs do not directly address the conflict between economic growth and environmental protection. Instead, they rely on the idea that technology can solve environmental problems by using resources more efficiently. For example, the goal of 3% global economic growth (SDG 8) may not be possible without a much higher rate of reducing environmental harm than any country has achieved before.
The SDGs are also said to be inconsistent with each other, as some goals and targets may conflict with one another.
Examples of progress
A study from 2024 used machine learning models to forecast SDG scores for regions until 2030. The results for 2030 show that "OECD countries" (80) (with a 2.8% change) and "Eastern Europe and Central Asia" (74) (with a 2.37% change) are expected to have the highest SDG scores. "Latin America and the Caribbean" (73) (with a 4.17% change), "East and South Asia" (69) (with a 2.64% change), "Middle East and North Africa" (68) (with a 2.32% change), and "Sub-Saharan Africa" (56) (with a 7.2% change) will have lower SDG scores, in that order.
The Commonwealth of Australia was one of 193 countries that agreed to the 2030 Agenda in September 2015. The government of Australia, through specific departments, is responsible for carrying out the agenda. Different government agencies handle the goals.
In November 2020, the report "Transforming Australia: SDG Progress" showed that Australia is doing well in health (SDG 3) and education (SDG 4), but is not making enough progress in reducing CO2 emissions (SDG 13), waste and environmental damage (SDG 12, SDG 14, and SDG 15), and reducing economic inequality (SDG 10).
UN Secretary General Guterres has praised China's Belt and Road Initiative for its ability to help achieve the SDGs. Links between the initiative and several UN organizations have been created.
Although Taiwan is not a member of the United Nations and did not officially sign the 2030 Agenda, it has taken actions that match the SDGs. These efforts are led by groups, schools, and companies. The Taiwan Institute for Sustainable Energy (TAISE), created in 2007, is a key organization in promoting SDG-related work and ESG practices across industries.
Since 2022, TAISE has organized SDG Asia, a major event for sustainability in the Asia-Pacific region, held every year in Taipei. This event brings together governments, businesses, NGOs, and the public to share ideas and improve progress toward the SDGs.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has gathered data to show how awareness of the SDGs has grown among government workers, civil society, and others in many African countries.
Nigeria shared its Voluntary National Review (VNR) in 2017 and 2020 to update the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) about its progress on the SDGs. In 2020, Nigeria was ranked 160th out of all countries on the SDG Index. The government confirmed that its current goals are focused on achieving the SDGs.
The Baltic nations, through the Council of the Baltic Sea States, created the Baltic 2030 Action Plan.
Lebanon adopted the SDGs in 2015. It shared its first VNR in 2018 at the High Level Political Forum in New York. A national group led by the Lebanese Prime Minister is responsible for SDG work in the country. In 2019, Lebanon ranked 6th out of 21 countries in the Arab region on the SDG Index.
Higher education in Syria started with sustainable development efforts through Damascus University.
The UK's plan for achieving the Global SDGs is described in Agenda 2030: Delivering the Global Goals, created by the Department for International Development. In 2019, the Bond network reviewed the UK's progress on the SDGs globally. The Bond report identified areas where more attention and investment are needed. The report was prepared by 49 organizations and 14 networks and working groups.