With just five years remaining until the 2030 deadline, a new UN report shows only a third of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) show adequate progress, with experts calling for the removal of barriers that make it difficult for countries to implement the goals.

The UN’s latest SDG Report 2025 paints a picture of both progress and regression. Of the 17 SDGs launched 10 years ago, only 35 per cent of targets are on track or showing moderate progress.

In contrast, 48 per cent of targets show insufficient progress, including 31 per cent with only marginal gains and 17 per cent with no progress at all. Most concerning, 18 per cent of targets have regressed below 2015 baseline levels.

“We are in a global development emergency. About 800 million people still live in extreme poverty, in intensifying climate impacts and in relentless debt service straining the resources that countries need to invest in their people,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres, at the launch of the report.

Mixed progress amid crises

Despite persistent global shocks—from conflict to climate change, to pandemics—the report notes that millions of lives have improved over the past decade. 

Millions more people, including in Africa, have gained access to electricity, green cooking and the internet. Social protection reached over half of the world’s population, a significant increase from a just decade ago. 

However, the report lays bare the scale of the remaining challenges. In 2023, nearly 273 million children and youth were still out of school. In 2024, 2.2 billion people lacked safe drinking water, 3.4 billion had no access to safe sanitation, and 1.7 billion had no basic hygiene services.

Climate change continues to undermine development gains, with 2024 confirmed as the hottest year on record. 

Conflicts caused nearly 50,000 deaths in the same year, and more than 120 million people were forcibly displaced. 

Africa’s path forward

For Africa, the stakes could not be higher. Overlapping crises have been exacerbated by high debt burdens, declining aid flows, and persistent inequality. 

With the youngest population in the world and an accelerating digital economy, the continent is both vulnerable and full of promise. 

Realizing the SDGs in Africa will require not just domestic policy reform and institutional strengthening but also renewed global solidarity, dealing with the debt crises, silencing the guns in conflict areas, and harnessing the power of the youth.

To avert further backsliding, Africa needs bold partnerships, investments in climate resilience, youth employment, health infrastructure, education, dealing with the debt crises, silencing the guns in conflict areas to allow for development to take place. 

Despite challenges, progress is possible

The report notes that official development assistance (ODA) declined by over 7 per cent in 2024 after five years of growth. Further cuts are expected through 2025, compounding the strain on countries already struggling with record-high debt service obligations.

Extreme poverty persists, affecting 1 in 10 people worldwide. Recent crises have stalled progress, with the burden falling heavily on sub-Saharan Africa and conflict-affected regions

"This is not a moment for despair, but for determined action," said Mr. Li Junhua, UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs. "We have the knowledge, tools, and partnerships to drive transformation. What we need now is urgent multilateralism—a recommitment to shared responsibility and sustained investment."

The report outlines six key priority areas where accelerated action can generate transformative impact: food systems, energy access, digital transformation, education, jobs and social protection, and climate and biodiversity action.

The SDG Report 2025 also serves as a reminder that success is possible.