According to recent United Nations data, one in ten people remain in extreme poverty, more than two billion suffer from moderate or severe food insecurity, and climate‑related disasters have more than doubled since 2015.
Just over a decade ago the international community adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), committing to eradicate poverty, reduce inequalities and confront climate change. The UN established 17 goals with 169 specific targets for 2030, covering areas such as zero hunger, clean water and sanitation, health and well‑being, and affordable clean energy.
Progress has been recorded in several areas: nearly one billion people now have reliable access to safe drinking water, HIV infections and AIDS‑related deaths have declined, and electricity now reaches about 92 % of the global population. However, many other targets remain seriously off‑track.
Almost half of all targets are advancing too slowly, and 15 % have regressed below their 2015 baselines.
Global extreme poverty is expected to stand at roughly 10 % by 2026, only three percentage points below 2015 levels. Approximately one in four urban dwellers lives in a slum or informal settlement. Extinction risks are increasing across species groups, and the planet’s average temperature reached 1.43 °C above pre‑industrial levels in 2025. Atmospheric CO₂ concentrations have hit their highest point in two million years.
Pakistan’s Pashtun kids struggle to go to school
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UN Secretary‑General António Guterres called on nations to intensify efforts after official development assistance fell by a record 23 % in 2025. “Together, let us make a decisive final push to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and build a healthy, prosperous future for all,” he declared.
Falling short: Overlapping crises and a widening financial gap
Rising violent conflicts have rapidly reversed years of development gains, offsetting progress within months.
The annual financing gap for the SDGs in developing countries now exceeds $4 trillion (≈€3.5 trillion), while global military expenditure has hit record levels.
War in the Middle East has disrupted maritime routes, cutting off energy, fertilizer and food corridors. The fallout threatens severe long‑term consequences for global food security, especially across Africa and parts of Asia.
Iran war drives food insecurity in war-torn Sudan
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Millions of people struggle to get enough food, access to water
Global hunger fell slightly in 2024 but remains above 2015 levels, with more than 8 % of the world’s population suffering chronic hunger. Over two billion people lack reliable access to sufficient food at some point each year.
The modest improvement is largely attributed to post‑pandemic economic recoveries in Southern Asia and Latin America, while hunger has continued to rise in Western Asia and Africa.
Billions now enjoy reliable access to clean drinking water, yet water stress—defined as the ratio of freshwater withdrawals to renewable supplies—remains acute in many regions. Roughly 10 % of the global population lives in countries experiencing high or critical water stress.
Nearly half of all countries report declining river flows, with the most severe reductions observed across Latin America, the Caribbean and parts of Central and Southern Asia.
As climate risks are escalating, vulnerability continues to grow
The decade from 2015 to 2025 was the warmest on record, and greenhouse‑gas emissions continue to rise, with 2024 marking a new high.
Oceans, which absorb about 90 % of the excess heat from the atmosphere, have reached record‑high temperatures for the ninth consecutive year. Warmer waters accelerate ice‑cap melt, driving sea‑level rise, and intensify tropical storms while degrading marine habitats such as coral reefs.
Climate‑driven natural disasters continue to cause loss of life, damage infrastructure, curtail incomes and entrench debt and dependence on humanitarian aid. Although deaths from such events have dropped by 65 % over the past decade, the number of people affected has more than doubled.
Better access to electricity; sub-Saharan Africa left behind
Modest gains over recent years have pushed electricity coverage to 92 % of humanity, yet more than 650 million still live without power. Forecasts suggest that the share will rise by only about half a percentage point by 2030.
Central and Southern Asia have driven the majority of progress, whereas sub‑Saharan Africa accounts for roughly 86 % of the world’s electricity‑deficit population.
Renewable‑energy shares have continued to expand, yet the pace remains insufficient to meet international climate, energy and development targets. Global installed renewable capacity hit a record high in 2024, with developing nations leading the surge.
Slums on the rise as housing crisis ramps up
Although certain regions have reduced the proportion of residents living in slums, the absolute global figure has risen to more than one billion people.
“We need to act and accelerate,” said UN Habitat’s Executive Director, Anaclaudia Rossbach, speaking to DW. “We are living a global housing crisis,” she warned, noting that one in four people lack safe drinking water, sanitation and secure housing.
“If we do not address housing and the rights of informal settlements, all the Sustainable Development Goals are at risk,” she added, describing secure housing as the ‘roof’ upon which every SDG rests.
“How can we improve access to education when children lack a safe place to study at home? How can we meet health targets without healthy homes and neighborhoods?” she asked.
Africa and Southeast Asia, which already host large informal settlements, are especially vulnerable, she noted, as these regions are expected to absorb roughly two billion additional urban residents.
What now?
The United Nations is urging nations to close the financing gap, accelerate the energy transition and reinforce multilateral cooperation, among other actions. Choices made over the next four years will be pivotal for achieving the 2030 Agenda and shaping outcomes for generations to come, the UN warns.
“More than a decade of implementation has shown what is possible,” said Li Junhua, UN Under‑Secretary‑General for Economic and Social Affairs. “The task now is to scale up what works — with the urgency, investment and cooperation needed to fulfill the promise of the 2030 Agenda.”
Tim Schauenberg contributed to this report.
Edited by: Tamsin Walker
