February 2021

Goal 8: Decent work and economic growth Over the past 25 years the number of workers living in extreme poverty has declined dramatically, despite the lasting impact of the 2008 economic crisis and global recession. In developing countries, the middle class now makes up more than 34 percent of total employment – a number that […]

What are the Sustainable Development Goals? Goal 7: Affordable and clean energyBetween 2000 and 2018, the number of people with electricity increased from 78 to 90 percent, and the numbers without electricity dipped to 789 million.Yet as the population continues to grow, so will the demand for cheap energy, and an economy reliant on fossil

Goal 6: Clean water and sanitation Water scarcity affects more than 40 percent of people, an alarming figure that is projected to rise as temperatures do. Although 2.1 billion people have improved water sanitation since 1990, dwindling drinking water supplies are affecting every continent.More and more countries are experiencing water stress, and increasing drought and

Goal 5: Gender equality Ending all discrimination against women and girls is not only a basic human right, it’s crucial for sustainable future; it’s proven that empowering women and girls helps economic growth and development. UNDP has made gender equality central to its work and we’ve seen remarkable progress in the past 20 years. There

Goal 4: Quality education Since 2000, there has been enormous progress in achieving the target of universal primary education. The total enrollment rate in developing regions reached 91 percent in 2015, and the worldwide number of children out of school has dropped by almost half. There has also been a dramatic increase in literacy rates,

Goal 3: Good health and well-being We have made great progress against several leading causes of death and disease. Life expectancy has increased dramatically; infant and maternal mortality rates have declined, we’ve turned the tide on HIV and malaria deaths have halved.Good health is essential to sustainable development and the 2030 Agenda reflects the complexity

Goal 2: Zero hunger The number of undernourished people has nearly halved in the past two decades due to rapid economic growth and increased agricultural productivity. Many developing countries that used to suffer from famine and hunger can now meet their food needs. Central and Eastern Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean have made

Goal 1: No povertyEradicating poverty in all its forms remains one of the greatest challenges facing humanity. While the number of people living in extreme poverty dropped by more than half between 1990 and 2015, too many are still struggling for the most basic human needs.As of 2015, about 736 million people still lived on