Anjali P K
anjali.pk@christuniversity.in
The world is deviating dangerously off track to meet its 2030 development commitments, according to a stark new warning from the United Nations. The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2025, released by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, paints a sobering picture of progress on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted a decade ago. With just five years remaining, only 35 percent of the 169 targets are on track, 48 percent are advancing too slowly, and 18 percent have regressed below their 2015 baseline levels. UN Secretary-General António Guterres warns in the report’s foreword that the world faces a “global development emergency” as poverty, conflict, and climate change reverse decades of progress. More than 800 million people remain trapped in extreme poverty, carbon dioxide levels have reached their highest point in over two million years, and over 120 million people have been forced from their homes, double the number in 2015.
Extreme poverty continues to affect one in ten people worldwide. Under the revised international poverty line, around 808 million people are expected to live in extreme poverty in 2025, with nearly 9 percent of the global population projected to remain below the line by 2030 if urgent action is not taken. The burden is expected to fall disproportionately on sub-Saharan Africa and conflict-affected regions. Although more than half of the world’s population now receives at least one form of social protection benefit, around 3.8 billion people remain without coverage, revealing stark inequalities between rich and poor nations. Global hunger has shown marginal improvement, with the share of undernourished people falling from 8.5 percent to 8.2 percent between 2023 and 2024. However, between 638 and 720 million people still face hunger, and 2.3 billion people remain food insecure. Child malnutrition continues to be a critical issue, with 150 million children under the age of five suffering from stunting, and recent data suggest a reversal of earlier progress in combating this problem.
In the health sector, the world has seen gains in combating HIV/AIDS and malaria, but progress on other indicators has slowed or even reversed. Maternal and child mortality rates, which saw steady declines between 2000 and 2019, were disrupted by COVID-19, which also reduced global life expectancy by 1.8 years and exposed deep weaknesses in health systems worldwide. Tuberculosis has re-emerged as the leading infectious killer, and malaria cases are increasing despite prevention efforts. The climate crisis remains a critical driver of development setbacks. The year 2024 has been confirmed as the hottest on record, with global temperatures averaging 1.55°C above pre-industrial levels. Although a single year above the Paris Agreement threshold does not mean a permanent breach, it serves as a clear warning signal. Global carbon dioxide emissions reached 37.6 billion metric tons in 2024 an 8.3 percent increase since 2015 and climate-related disasters have triggered the highest levels of displacement in 16 years.
Education access has improved significantly since 2015, with 109 million more children and youth enrolled in school. However, 272 million remain out of school, and learning quality has declined in many countries. On gender equality, women now hold 27 percent of parliamentary seats globally, compared to 22 percent in 2015, but discriminatory laws and harmful practices such as child marriage persist, and women remain underrepresented in decision-making roles. The economic outlook for developing countries is becoming increasingly grim as debt servicing costs hit a record $1.4 trillion in 2023, severely constraining public investment in sustainable development. This is compounded by a $4 trillion annual financing gap, while official development assistance fell by 7.1 percent in 2024 after five years of steady growth.
Despite the grim findings, the UN stresses that the goals remain within reach if countries act decisively. The report identifies six key areas where immediate transformation is needed: food systems, energy, digital connectivity, education, jobs and social protection, and climate and biodiversity. Massive investments, international cooperation, and policy realignment are crucial to accelerate progress and prevent a widening development divide. “The Sustainable Development Goals remain within reach,” Guterres emphasizes. “But only if we act decisively and act now. Together, we can still build the sustainable future everyone, everywhere, deserves.” The report serves as an urgent call for recommitment to the 2030 Agenda, warning that failure to act now could turn the current “global development emergency” into a permanent crisis for billions of people worldwide.
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