The United Nations 2025 Sustainable Development Goals Report

With just five years remaining until the Paris Agreement's 2030 deadline, the United Nations 2025 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Report is both a reality check and a call to action. 

While progress has been made in critical areas such as health, education and electricity access, the pace is far too slow to meet global commitments. 

The world is grappling with interconnected crises, climate change, geopolitical instability and economic inequality that are threatening to undo years of development gains. 

The report makes clear that to achieve the SDGs, urgent, systemic change is required across sectors and geographies.

A data-driven global snapshot

The United Nations 2025 Sustainable Development Goals Report assesses 139 SDG targets based on global trends since 2015.

“Since 2015, millions have gained access to essential services,” writes António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, in the report.

“More than half the world’s population now benefits from some form of social protection, up by 10 percentage points compared to a decade ago. 

“Child marriage and maternal and child mortality rates have fallen and more young people, especially girls, complete school. 

“Women now hold 27% of parliamentary seats worldwide, up from 22%. 

“Access to electricity and clean cooking has expanded. Internet connectivity has increased by 70%, opening new horizons. 

“Around the world, young people, communities, civil society and local leaders are stepping up their action to deliver on the promise of the SDGs.

“Despite these important gains, conflicts, climate chaos, geopolitical tensions and economic shocks continue to obstruct progress at the pace and scale needed to meet the 2030 target.”

Only 35% are on track or making moderate progress on the 139 SDG targets, while 48% are showing insufficient movement and 18% have actually regressed below 2015 baselines. 

What could be deemed as particularly worrying is the stagnation or reversal of goals tied to poverty, hunger, climate and inequality.

Despite global economic recovery post-COVID, GDP per capita growth is projected to slow to just 1.5% in 2025, with real GDP growth in Least Developed Countries (LDCs) still far below the 7% target. 

Global debt servicing costs have reached a record US$1.4tn, severely constraining development spending in low and middle-income nations.

Climate and biodiversity

The report states that 2024 was the hottest year on record, surpassing the 1.5°C warming threshold. 

CO₂ levels are now the highest in more than two million years. 

Climate-related disasters, biodiversity loss and extreme weather events are placing unprecedented strain on water systems, ecosystems and food production.

• Only 56% of domestic wastewater is safely treated
  
• Freshwater species populations have declined by 83% since 1970
  
• Agriculture, still the largest freshwater user, saw global water stress remain at 18%, with some regions exceeding 75%

Poverty and hunger

An estimated 808 million people (one in 10 people) are living in extreme poverty..

Revised poverty metrics pushed the threshold up to US$3.00/day, revealing that the 2030 goal is even further out of reach. 

More than half of the global population still lacks any form of social protection and more than 1.8 billion people are without access to clean cooking.

Hunger has risen sharply, affecting more than 700 million people, while more than two billion face food insecurity. 

Stunting affects more than 150 million children, with slow improvement and even signs of reversal in some regions.

Gender inequality

While some progress has been made, the gender gap in leadership, education, employment and technology access remains stark:

• Women hold just 27% of parliamentary seats globally
  
  
• Only 30% of managerial roles are held by women
  
  
• Women perform 2.5 times more unpaid domestic work than men
  
  
• 230 million women and girls have experienced female genital mutilation (FGM).

Energy, education and health

Electricity and clean energy:

Electricity access has risen to 92% and renewables now supply 30% of electricity, yet 645 million people will remain without power in 2030 if current trends continue. 

Investment in clean energy remains uneven, with developing countries still heavily underfunded.

Education:

Completion rates have increased but 272 million children and youth remain out of school and learning outcomes are declining in many countries. 

Girls now outperform boys in completion rates, but digital access and infrastructure gaps, especially in LDCs, are limiting educational equity.

Health:

Despite advances in maternal and child health, 18 million people under 70 died from non-communicable diseases in 2021. 

Tuberculosis has overtaken COVID-19 as the leading infectious cause of death, while AIDS-related deaths and malaria cases are resurging.

“This report tells a story of remarkable human resilience and ingenuity,” writes Li Junhua, Under Secretary-General for the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, in the report.

“We have witnessed great achievements that demonstrate what is possible when the international community acts with purpose and solidarity. 

“New HIV infections have declined by 39% since 2010. 

“Malaria prevention efforts have averted 2.2 billion cases and saved 12.7 million lives since 2000. 

“Since 2015, 110 million more children and youth have entered school, with completion rates rising at all levels and the gender gap in education continuing to narrow.”

Data infrastructure

A major challenge highlighted is the fragility of data systems. 

Only 70% of SDG indicators have good data coverage and funding for data remains unreliable. 

The abrupt suspension of the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) programme by USAID has severely disrupted data collection across 39 SDG indicators, particularly affecting Goals 2 (Zero Hunger), 3 (Health) and 5 (Gender Equality).

The Medellín Framework for Action, adopted in 2024, provides a pathway for robust, inclusive and sustainable data systems – but requires significantly more investment.

Urgent priorities: the six transitions

The UN identifies six key transitions essential to reversing negative trends and accelerating progress:

1. Food systems transformation
   
   
2. Energy access and decarbonisation
   
   
3. Digital connectivity
   
   
4. Universal education access
   
   
5. Job creation and social protection
   
   
6. Climate and biodiversity action.

The 2025 SDG Report is not just a diagnostic; it is a global call to reignite ambition, scale up investment and renew multilateral cooperation. 

The next five years will determine whether we uphold our commitment to sustainable development or fall dangerously short.