The Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Report 2023 was a special edition focused on the midpoint assessment of the 2030 Agenda. Its conclusion was alarming: the world is dangerously off track to meet the SDGs, with progress on only about 15% of the targets being achieved or on track. The report signaled that the interconnected crises of COVID-19, climate change, and conflict had pushed the global community into a state of “promise in peril.”
The report served as a clarion call for the SDG Summit and urged a massive, universal effort to mobilize financing, scale up investment, and recommit to multilateral cooperation to rescue the goals.
Short Summary of the 2023 SDG Report (Midpoint Assessment)
The report’s headline finding was a severe assessment of where global progress stood halfway to the 2030 deadline.
| Progress Status | Assessment | Percentage of Targets |
|---|---|---|
On Track or Achieved | Only about 15% of targets are on track. | 15% |
Off Track (Slow Progress) | Half of the targets show some progress, but it is weak and insufficient. | 50% |
Stalled or Reversed | Progress on over 30% of the targets has either stalled or moved backward since 2015. | 35% |
Key Reversals and Challenges
- Poverty and Hunger (Goals 1 & 2): After decades of decline, extreme poverty and hunger have surged, returning to levels not seen since 2017. Current trends suggest 575 million people will still be living in extreme poverty in 2030.
- Climate Action (Goal 13): The report stated the climate crisis is escalating dramatically. Current emissions reduction pledges are not enough to keep global warming below .
- Gender Equality (Goal 5): Gender parity in national parliaments will not be achieved for 140 years at the current rate, and it will take another 286 years to close gaps in legal protection and remove discriminatory laws.
- Health (Goal 3): Global life expectancy is on track to miss the 2030 target. The world recorded million “excess deaths” related to the COVID-19 pandemic by the end of 2021.
Reference
Source: The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2023: Special Edition, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) / UN Statistics Division (UNSD).