A decade after the adoption of the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, new research – published in the Sustainable Development Report 2025 – reveals that not a single country is currently on course to fully achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The new fidings were prepared by the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) and released ahead of the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4) in Seville.

The report combines quantitative analysis with a thematic focus on “Financing Sustainable Development to 2030 and Mid-Century” and is grounded in more than 200,000 data points from 193 countries. It documents uneven progress, growing inequality, inadequate financial flows, and a troubling erosion of global multilateral cooperation.

With just five years remaining in the SDG timeline, the only conclusion to take is that it is increasingly imperiled by geopolitical fragmentation, climate shocks, and systemic underinvestment.

Let’s look into detail what is said in this report.

Global Overview: A Decade of Incrementalism, Not Transformation

Since the launch of the SDGs in 2015, global progress has been, at best, incremental. According to the report, only 17% of SDG targets are on track globally. You read that well, 17% only.

The overwhelming majority – over 80% – are either stagnating or reversing. While improvements have been made in areas such as digital infrastructure, primary education, and access to electricity, these gains have not been matched in fields like climate action, biodiversity protection, governance, or inequality reduction.

The overall SDG Index rankings continue to be led by Northern European nations, notably Finland, Sweden, and Denmark. These countries have maintained their leading status due to consistently high performance on health care, education, gender equality, and institutional quality. However, even among these leaders, we notice important challenges as the report shows. Many top-performing nations are marked “red” in their dashboards for SDG 13 (Climate Action) and SDG 15 (Life on Land). This is an indication that there are insufficient mitigation efforts and that there is a worsening biodiversity loss.

Meanwhile, countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and parts of the Middle East remain mired in low performance due to structural constraints, fragile institutions, conflict, and underfunded public systems. Nonetheless, several low-income nations, including Benin and Nepal, show that progress is possible with focused interventions and international support.

Bottom-Ranked Countries by SDG Index Score

Country SDG Index Score (2025)
South Sudan 41.6
Central African Republic 45.2
Chad 46.0
Somalia 46.1
Yemen 47.7

These countries face overlapping challenges including protracted conflict, climate vulnerability, poor health infrastructure, and limited fiscal autonomy. Data gaps further obscure progress and hinder evidence-based policymaking.

Regional Trends: Convergence in Vision, Divergence in Capability

The report breaks down SDG progress by region, revealing wide disparities that reflect both structural economic conditions and political will. While there is broad consensus on the desirability of sustainable development, the capacity to implement varies dramatically across geographies.

East and South Asia are identified as the regions with the fastest average progress over the last decade. Countries such as Vietnam, Uzbekistan, and Bangladesh have made substantial headway in expanding access to digital services, clean energy, and primary health care. These achievements are largely attributed to focused investment in public infrastructure, the proliferation of mobile technologies, and expanding regional trade frameworks.

In contrast, Europe remains the overall leader in SDG performance. However, European countries are increasingly falling short on goals related to planetary boundaries. High levels of consumption, persistent emissions, and limited biodiversity protection have placed many high-income countries in the “red” zone on environmental indicators, especially for SDGs 12, 13, and 15. Even in Finland—ranked #1—there are marked deficits in sustainable consumption and biodiversity preservation.

Latin America and the Caribbean, once heralded as a region of SDG promise, now show signs of stagnation or reversal. Countries such as Peru and Colombia have made gains in health and infrastructure but continue to struggle with institutional fragility and rising violence, undermining progress on SDG 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions). Similarly, Sub-Saharan Africa, despite innovation in mobile finance and renewable energy, remains far from reaching most goals. Many nations in the region remain highly vulnerable to climate shocks, debt burdens, and external aid volatility.

Critical Indicators: Areas of Progress and Persistent Failure

Across the SDGs, the report identifies three categories of performance using a traffic light system—green for on track, yellow for limited progress, and red for regression. The data reveals an alarming number of red indicators, particularly in environmental and social equity domains.

SDG 13 (Climate Action) is a critical area of underperformance. More than 90% of countries are not on track to meet their climate commitments, and many are increasing their emissions. The situation is exacerbated by unmet financial promises: rich countries have repeatedly failed to deliver pledged funds through the Green Climate Fund and other mechanisms, leaving low-income nations without the resources to adapt or decarbonize.

SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities) presents a similarly bleak picture. Income and wealth disparities are rising both within and between countries. While some nations have expanded social protection systems, structural inequality persists along lines of gender, race, migration status, and education level. The pandemic years widened these gaps, and recovery efforts have largely failed to reverse them.

Some areas, however, show encouraging momentum. SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-Being) has seen consistent improvements in reducing neonatal and under-5 mortality, particularly in South and Southeast Asia. Innovations in telemedicine and digital health platforms have expanded access to care in remote regions. Similarly, progress has been made on SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure) due to widespread internet adoption and mobile broadband access in the Global South.

Progress on SDG Targets

Not everything is going in the wrong direction fortunately. Some targets are clearly on track as the below progress table shows.

Category Target
On-track Targets Mobile broadband usage (SDG 9)
Access to electricity (SDG 7)
Internet use (SDG 9)
Under-five mortality rate (SDG 3)
Neonatal mortality (SDG 3)
Off-track Targets Obesity prevalence (SDG 2)
Press Freedom Index (SDG 16)
Sustainable Nitrogen Management (SDG 2)
Red List Index – biodiversity loss (SDG 15)
Corruption Perception Index (SDG 16)

Most of the environmental goals (SDGs 12, 13, 14, 15) and governance-related targets (SDG 16) fall into the red category. Social indicators such as gender equity, food systems, and inequality remain stubbornly off-track in many regions.

Quantifying the Challenge: Thresholds and Gaps

Thematic indicators offer further insight into global SDG performance. For example, the percentage of population with access to electricity is nearing universal coverage in some regions but remains under 50% in others. Gender wage gaps and youth unemployment are systemic challenges, while carbon intensity of electricity remains dangerously high in several G20 countries.

Thematic SDG Indicators

Indicator Optimum Red Threshold Global Range Year
Population with access to electricity (%) 100% <80% 9.1–100% 2022
CO₂ emissions per TWh electricity 0 Mt >1.5 Mt Up to 5.9 Mt 2023
Renewable energy in final energy use (%) 55% <10% 3–55% 2021
Victims of modern slavery (per 1,000 pop.) 0 >10 Up to 22 2022
Gender wage gap (% of male median wage) 0% >20% Up to 36.7% 2023
Youth NEET rate (% aged 15–24) <8.1% >15% Up to 28.2% 2022

These benchmarks help governments and international agencies prioritize interventions and funding allocations. For example, countries above red thresholds for CO₂ intensity and modern slavery face structural challenges that cannot be solved without systemic policy changes and international cooperation.

Simplified Indicators: Comparing SDGs at a Glance

To support policymaker communication and facilitate year-over-year tracking, the report includes a summary table of key indicators selected for each SDG.

Headline SDG Progress Indicators

SDG Indicator
SDG 1 Poverty headcount ratio at $1.90/day
SDG 4 Mean years of schooling
SDG 5 Seats held by women in national parliaments (%)
SDG 13 CO₂ emissions per capita

These indicators serve as accessible proxies for broader goal performance and are especially useful in high-level policy settings or public communication.

Financing Development: The Structural Bottleneck

The report’s core theme – financing for sustainable development – receives a dedicated analysis in Part I. The findings are clear: current global financial systems are failing to support sustainable development, particularly in emerging and low-income economies.

Nearly half the world’s population lives in countries that lack the fiscal space to invest meaningfully in SDG implementation. Many are caught in a cycle of debt dependency, with public debt repayments eclipsing public investments in health, education, or climate adaptation. International financial institutions have been slow to reform their lending models or expand access to Special Drawing Rights (SDRs).

The report calls for a multi-pronged reform agenda:

  • Scale up concessional financing and restructure debt for countries facing unsustainable burdens.
  • Reform credit rating agency criteria, which often penalize countries for investing in public services or infrastructure.
  • Reallocate IMF Special Drawing Rights to prioritize SDG investment.
  • Introduce global taxation measures, such as carbon border adjustments and taxes on shipping or aviation, to fund international public goods.

Crucially, the report emphasizes that these measures must be underpinned by principles of distributive and reparative justice – recognizing both historical responsibility and the need for shared global stewardship.

Multilateralism in Decline: A Fractured Global Commons

For the first time, the report includes a UN-based Multilateralism Index (UN-Mi) to measure countries’ commitment to collective global action. The results are both illuminating and troubling.

Barbados tops the index, showing high levels of treaty participation, UN voting alignment, and financial support for international organizations. At the other extreme, the United States ranks last. Following its withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement and the World Health Organization in early 2025, the U.S. has formally opposed the SDGs and halted financial contributions to multilateral institutions.

The report also notes that Brazil and Chile have emerged as leaders within the G20 and OECD respectively in supporting UN-based cooperation. Their governments have ratified key treaties, increased financial contributions, and led regional SDG initiatives.

Voluntary Local Reviews (VLRs) Come to the Rescue

More recently we have seen the rise of regional and city-led initiatives through Voluntary Local Reviews (VLRs). These are official reports produced by cities, regions, or other sub-national entities to assess and publicly report their progress toward achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the local level.

They are modeled after Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) submitted by national governments, but tailored to the unique responsibilities, challenges, and opportunities faced by local authorities.

Key Features of Voluntary Local Reviews

  1. Localization of the SDGs
    VLRs translate the 17 global SDGs into context-specific targets and indicators relevant to city planning, public services, local policies, and urban development.
  2. Voluntary and Non-Binding
    Like VNRs, VLRs are not mandatory. However, they are increasingly adopted by cities as a tool for transparency, accountability, and policy alignment.
  3. Data-Driven Evaluation
    VLRs often include localized indicators (e.g., access to clean transport, affordable housing, or green space) and disaggregated data that may not appear in national statistics.
  4. Policy Integration Tool
    VLRs help municipalities align their urban strategies (such as climate plans, transport development, or social programs) with the SDGs.
  5. Public Participation and Stakeholder Engagement
    Many VLRs incorporate inputs from civil society, academia, and private stakeholders to reflect community priorities.

Examples of Cities Conducting VLRs

  • New York City (USA): First city in the world to release a VLR in 2018.
  • Bristol (UK): Developed a VLR using local sustainability partnerships and citizen data.
  • Buenos Aires (Argentina): Incorporated geospatial data to track social and infrastructure indicators.
  • Helsinki (Finland) and Bonn (Germany): Linked VLRs with open data portals and urban development plans.

As of 2025, over 200 cities and regions worldwide have published or initiated VLRs, showing the growing role of local governance in achieving the SDGs.

We Might Want to Rethink Our Collective Contract

The Sustainable Development Report 2025 ends with a rather pointed conclusion: business as usual is no longer an option. The SDGs were never meant to be symbolic; they were designed as a blueprint for a sustainable, equitable, and peaceful global society. Yet, a decade after their adoption, they risk becoming hollow promises unless decisive, collective action is taken.

The failure to achieve even the environmental goals in wealthy countries undermines the legitimacy of the entire framework. Without renewed global solidarity, meaningful financing reforms, and structural change, the SDGs will remain aspirational at best.

But the report also issues a note of cautious optimism. The rise of regional and city-led initiatives, the success of Voluntary Local Reviews (VLRs), and the resilience shown by certain low-income countries demonstrate that progress is possible. What is needed now is not more goals, but greater political will, financial reallocation, and a recommitment to shared humanity.

The SDGs remain the closest thing the world has to a global social contract. Fulfilling them will require a shift from technocratic solutions to systems-level thinking, from charity to justice, and from short-term competition to long-term solidarity.

If the 2025 report is a wake-up call, the real question is: who is listening?


I specialize in sustainability education, curriculum co-creation, and early-stage project strategy. At WINSS, I craft articles on sustainability, transformative AI, and related topics. When I'm not writing, you'll find me chasing the perfect sushi roll, exploring cities around the globe, or unwinding with my dog Puffy — the world’s most loyal sidekick.