On UN Day 2022 let’s talk about the UN Sustainable Goals: Facts and figures

The UN Sustainable Goals

SDGs are a collection of 17 global goals set by the UN General Assembly and endorsed by all 193 United Nations Member States in 2015. Earlier in 2022, the UN shared a report about the progress on UN SDGs, containing key facts and figures:

SDG #1 – End poverty

• More than 4 years of progress against poverty has been erased by COVID-19
• An estimated 581 million people live in extreme poverty in 2022, with rising inflation and impacts of war in Ukraine pushing this projection to 657-676 million
•  Working poverty rate rose for the first time in two decades, pushing an additional 8 million workers into poverty

SDG #2 – End hunger

• About 1 in 10 people worldwide are suffering from hunger
• Nearly 1 in 3 people lack regular access to adequate food (2020)
• 149.2 million children under age 5 suffer from stunting

SDG #3 – Ensure good health and wellbeing

• As of mid-2022, COVID-19 infected more than 500 million people and led to 15 million deaths globally
• 22.7 million children missed basic vaccines in 2020
• Tuberculosis deaths rose for the first time since 2005

SDG #4 – Ensure inclusive and quality education

• 147 million children missed over half of in-person instruction in 2020-2021
• Remote learning is offered to 3 million Ukrainian children in the chaos of war (April 2022)
•  24 million learners may never return to school

SDG #5 – Achieve gender equality  

• At the current pace, it would take another 40 years for women and men to be represented equally in national political leadership
• Women accounted for 39% of total employment in 2019, but 45% of global employment losses in 2020
• Only 57% of women (15-49) are making their own informed decisions on sex and reproductive health care

SDG #6 – Ensure clean water and sanitation

• Over the past 300 years, over 85% of the planet’s wetlands have been lost
• In 2030, 1.6 billion people will lack safely managed drinking water
• For at least 3 billion people, the quality of the water they depend on is unknown due to a lack of monitoring

SDG #7 – Ensure affordable and clean energy

• Total renewable energy consumption increased by 25% between 2010 and 2019, but the share of renewables in total final energy consumption is only 17.7% (2019)
• Progress in energy efficiency needs to speed up to achieve global climate goals
• There were 1.2 billion people without electricity in 2010 and 679 are expected in 2030

SDG #8 – Promote decent work and economic growth

• 1 in 10 children are engaged in child labor globally (2020)
• Global economic recovery is hampered by new waves of COVID-19, rising inflation, supply-chain disruptions, policy uncertainties, and labor market challenges
• Global unemployment to remain above pre-pandemic levels at least until 2023

SDG #9 – Industry innovation and infrastructure

• 1 in 3 manufacturing jobs are negatively impacted by the crisis
• Passenger airline industry is still struggling to recover: There were 2.3 billion passengers in 2021, compared with 4.5 billion in 2019
• Only 1 in 3 small manufacturers are benefiting from a loan or line of credit

SDG #10 – Reduce inequality between countries

• 5,895 migrants lost their lives in 2021
• 1 in 5 people have experienced discrimination
• Number of refugees outside their country of origin increased by 44% between 2015 and 2021, while war in Ukraine pushes the world total even higher

SDG #11 – Sustainable cities and communities

• 99% population breathe world’s urban polluted air
• Leaving no one behind will require an intensified focus on1 billion slum dwellers

SDG #12 – Ensure sustainable consumption and production

• 13% of the world’s food is lost after harvesting and before reaching retail markets
• 17% of total food is wasted at the consumer level
• Our reliance on natural resources is increasing rising over 65% globally from 2000 to 2019

SDG #13 – Combat climate change

• Energy-related CO2 emissions increased by 6% in 2021, reaching the highest level ever
• Climate finance falls short of $100 billion yearly commitment
• Sea level will rise 30-60 cm by 2100

SDG #14 – Life below water

• Increasing acidification is threatening marine life and limiting the ocean’s capacity to moderate climate change
• 17+ million metric tons of plastic entered the ocean in 2021, projected to double or triple by 2040
• 90% of the world’s fishers are employed in small-scale fisheries

SDG #15 – Life on land

• 10 million hectares of forest are destroyed every year
• Almost 90% of global deforestation is due to agricultural expansion
• About 40,000 species are documented to be at risk of extinction over the coming decades

SDG #16 – Peace, justice and strong institutions

• 1/3 of world’s population (mostly women) fear walking alone in their neighborhood at night
• Global homicide rate declined 5.2% between 2015 and 2020
• Almost 1 in 6 businesses have received bribe requests from public officials

SDG #17 – Partnerships for the goals

• Internet uptake accelerated during the pandemic, from 54% in 2019 to 63% in 2021
• Rising debt burdens threaten developing countries’ pandemic recovery

READ THE UN REPORT HERE

Now, more than ever, we need to bring to life the values and principles of the UN Charter in every corner of the world. By giving peace a chance and ending conflicts that jeopardize lives, futures and global progress. By working to end extreme poverty, reduce inequalities, and rescue the SDGs. By safeguarding our planet, including by breaking our addiction to fossil fuels and kickstarting the renewable energy revolution. And by finally balancing the scales of opportunity and freedom for women and girls and ensuring human rights for all,

…said UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, on the occasion of UN Day 2022.