The Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) has published its annual global assessment of SDG progress. The Sustainable Development Report 2026 confirms that while only 16% of SDG targets are projected to be achieved by the 2030 deadline, global commitment to the SDGs remains strong. The report also highlights eight priorities to accelerate progress towards 2030 and beyond.
Themed, ‘Implementing Sustainable Development: 2030 and Beyond,’ the 11th edition of SDSN’s Sustainable Development Report finds the vast majority of countries continue to support the SDG framework, with more than 170 of the 193 UN Member States backing UN General Assembly (UNGA) resolutions referencing sustainable development in 2025. The only two countries to consistently oppose resolutions linked to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development were Argentina and the US, according to the report.
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The report’s SDG Index and Dashboards rank the performance of all UN Member States on the SDGs, using 17 headline indicators to track overall SDG progress. The findings reveal that East and South Asia have continued to outperform all other regions in SDG progress since 2015. The largest rank improvements among major economies belong to India (+18) and China (+14).
As in previous years, the SDG Index continues to be led by Nordic countries, with Finland, Sweden, and Denmark topping the list. However, the report warns that even those countries struggle with significant challenges, particularly on SDG 12 (responsible consumption and production), SDG 13 (climate action), SDG 14 (life below water), and SDG 15 (life on land). These are partly driven by unsustainable consumption patterns and negative international spillover effects.
The report further finds that globally, biodiversity-related SDGs, as well as Goals on sustainable cities, agri-food systems, and peace are particularly off-track.
The assessment features an index, which assesses countries’ engagement with the UN system and their support for SDG 17 (partnerships for the Goals) using six headline indicators. The Index of Countries’ Support for UN-based Multilateralism ranks Barbados first. Having withdrawn from more than 60 international organizations in January 2026, voted with the international majority in only 5% of recorded UNGA votes in 2025, and formally expressed opposition to the SDGs, the 2030 Agenda, and the Paris Agreement on climate change, the US ranks last.
Highlighting the need to strengthen implementation as “the defining priority for the next era of sustainable development,” the report outlines eight priorities to accelerate progress toward 2030 and beyond:
- End ongoing wars and redirect military expenditures towards peace and human development;
- Establish an ambitious timeline for SDG implementation;
- Organize implementation around six interlinked transformations – education for all; universal health; clean energy and sustainable industry; sustainable food, land, water, and oceans; sustainable cities and communities; and digital revolution for sustainable development;
- Adopt long-term investment plans to support these transformations;
- Strengthen continental, regional, and local cooperation and investment;
- Introduce new global taxes to finance global public goods;
- Develop global governance frameworks for artificial intelligence (AI), biotechnology, and other emerging technologies; and
- Establish new UN campuses in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
The report was launched online on 23 June 2026. First published in 2016, the Sustainable Development Report, led by SDSN’s President Jeffrey Sachs, provides data to track and rank the performance of all UN Member States on the 17 SDGs. SDSN operates under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General, aiming to promote integrated approaches to address global economic, social, and environmental challenges.
The report is one of several SDG assessments released each year in the lead up to the annual UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF). The UN Secretary-General’s SDG Progress Report and the Sustainable Development Goals Report by the UN Statistics Division (forthcoming) will also inform HLPF deliberations. [Publication: Sustainable Development Report 2026: Implementing Sustainable Development: 2030 and Beyond] [Publication Landing Page] [SDSN Press Release] [SDG Knowledge Hub Stories on 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, and 2019 Editions]