Country-Specific Trends Reveal Gaps in Global SDG Progress

CoRE member Prof. Dan Banik recently co-authored a major international study, Country-specific progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals: Past, present, and prospects, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). The article reveals that global progress toward the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) remains uneven, fragile, and insufficient to meet the 2030 targets. The research assessed long-term trends across 117 SDG indicators in 167 countries, comparing progress since the goals were adopted in 2015 and projecting future outcomes under current trends.

The findings show that countries starting from lower baseline performance have generally made notable gains, particularly in areas such as literacy, road safety, and infrastructure. In contrast, goals that previously had higher scores—especially in health and well-being—have either stagnated or regressed in many places. For example, setbacks in vaccine coverage and disease control were reported even in some high-income countries.

Despite improvements in industry, innovation, and infrastructure, the study warns that most countries are off track to achieve the SDGs by 2030. Projections suggest that global SDG achievement will reach only around 63% of the targets if current trajectories persist.

Researchers stress that coordinated, targeted action and strengthened international cooperation are urgently needed to accelerate progress in lagging areas and support countries with the greatest gaps.