2025 UN SDG Report: Are We on Track?

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Report 2025 delivers one of the most comprehensive evaluations of global development progress since the adoption of the 2030 Agenda ten years ago. The report, prepared by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), offers both achievements and alarms: while notable progress has been made in health, education, and renewable energy, the overall trajectory toward achieving the 17 Goals remains critically off pace.

According to the report, only around 15 percent of SDG targets are currently on track, while nearly half are experiencing slow or stagnant progress, and about one-third have regressed compared to their 2015 baselines. These findings highlight the widening disparities between developed and developing regions, particularly in areas most affected by conflict, economic instability, and climate change.

Despite global challenges, the report recognizes several encouraging developments. The expansion of universal energy access has continued steadily, supported by the rapid growth of renewable energy infrastructure and the implementation of decentralized power systems in rural regions. Countries across Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa have made particular progress through international partnerships such as the Green Climate Fund and regional development initiatives promoting solar and wind investments.

Health outcomes have also improved significantly. Global maternal and child mortality rates have declined across most regions, reflecting expanded vaccination coverage, increased access to essential healthcare, and advances in medical technology. These improvements are attributed to collaborative programs led by the World Health Organization (WHO) and national ministries of health, supported by multilateral donors and private foundations.

Education remains another area of visible progress. Primary school enrollment rates have risen globally, and gender disparities in access to education continue to narrow. According to the UN, these advances are largely due to targeted initiatives such as Education Cannot Wait and UNESCO’s Global Education Coalition, which aim to strengthen public education systems and ensure inclusion in crisis-affected areas.

However, the report also underscores alarming setbacks. The world is far from achieving Zero Hunger (SDG 2), as global food insecurity has worsened dramatically in the past five years. Conflicts, extreme weather events, and the economic aftershocks of the COVID-19 pandemic have collectively disrupted food supply chains and agricultural productivity. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that over 780 million people are currently undernourished, marking a 30 percent increase since 2020.

Inequality remains another pressing concern. Despite growth in certain economies, wealth and opportunity gaps between urban and rural populations continue to expand. Vulnerable groups — including indigenous communities, women, and informal workers — face limited access to healthcare, education, and technology. The report attributes much of this stagnation to insufficient investment in public infrastructureand uneven implementation of social protection policies.

The report also warns that the climate crisis is threatening decades of progress in sustainable development. Rising temperatures, biodiversity loss, and ocean degradation are accelerating faster than previously projected. The world remains off track to meet the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C target, and environmental degradation continues to exacerbate poverty and displacement. UN Secretary-General António Guterres described this convergence of crises as “a warning sign that the window for corrective action is rapidly closing.”

The most critical obstacle to achieving the SDGs, however, lies in financing. The report reveals that the global SDG financing gap now surpasses USD 4.3 trillion annually, a number that continues to grow amid mounting debt burdens and limited fiscal capacity in developing nations. The current global financial system, according to UN DESA, “was not designed to deliver equitable development outcomes” and requires urgent restructuring.

Several mechanisms are under discussion to address this shortfall. These include sovereign debt relief programs, the expansion of green and social bond markets, and the establishment of new international tax cooperation frameworks to close illicit financial flows. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) notes that without coordinated reform, developing economies will remain unable to finance the long-term infrastructure and climate investments needed to meet the SDG targets.

The UN has repeatedly called for what it terms a “global rescue plan for the SDGs” — a framework that would mobilize not only governments but also the private sector, philanthropy, and civil society. The Addis Ababa Action Agenda of 2015 remains the reference point for financing sustainable development, yet experts agree that new commitments are urgently needed to keep the 2030 Agenda viable.

While global trends reveal uneven progress, regional perspectives provide a more nuanced view. In Asia and the Pacific, the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) reports “moderate yet uneven” advancement. Many economies in East and Southeast Asia are on track to meet goals related to industrial innovation and digital access, but face challenges in reducing inequality and environmental degradation.

Across Africa, governments have prioritized food security, renewable energy, and infrastructure, yet these efforts are constrained by limited access to international finance. The African Development Bank emphasizes that climate vulnerability has reduced agricultural productivity and increased poverty in several regions.

Europe continues to lead in sustainable energy transitions and climate adaptation policies, but inflation, migration pressures, and geopolitical tensions have challenged the region’s social stability. Meanwhile, Latin America and the Caribbean report slow economic recovery after the pandemic, coupled with rising inequality and environmental threats from deforestation and extractive industries.

Countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, and Ghana are currently preparing Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) for presentation at the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) later this year. These reviews will evaluate national progress, share best practices, and identify priority areas for acceleration.

The findings of the 2025 SDG Report have ignited a renewed global conversation on the future of multilateralism. Secretary-General António Guterres has called on all member states to reaffirm their commitments at the upcoming SDG Moment 2025and the Summit of the Future, which aim to redefine global cooperation mechanisms for the next decade.

The report concludes that the Sustainable Development Goals remain attainable but increasingly fragile. Achieving them will depend on unprecedented levels of cooperation, innovation, and accountability. Experts estimate that the pace of current progress must increase nearly fourfold to meet the 2030 targets.

As the world enters the final stretch toward 2030, the SDG framework remains a universal blueprint for peace, prosperity, and planetary balance. Whether governments, institutions, and societies can rise to the occasion will determine not only the success of this agenda but the sustainability of the global future itself.