Countries in the Asia-Pacific region have made great strides toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) but results vary across the different subregions. The UN’s annual report of global achievements—the Sustainable Development Goals Report 2026—shows a positive trend over the 10 years since the SDGs were adopted in 2015. However, the region’s progress has been hampered by conflicts and insecurity, including those in other regions—a point made by several speakers at the 2026 High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) in New York.
Speaking in the Ministerial Segment of the HLPF on Monday, 13 July 2026, Asia-Pacific leaders called for unity and trust building. Indonesia noted the impacts of geopolitical tensions, climate shocks, supply chain disruptions and fiscal constraints had slowed progress toward achieving the SDGs. He highlighted Indonesia’s own responses—including mobilization of blended finance through tools such as SDG bonds and Green Sukuk, an Islamic financial instrument for funding environmentally beneficial projects. The Lao Peoples Democratic Republic called for renewed global solidarity and commitment as well as an international development architecture capable of responding to current needs and challenges.
Three Asia-Pacific countries presented Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) to the HLPF: Kiribati, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and Tonga. Their statements framed climate change and geographic isolation as prime challenges, even as their governments have made strides toward reducing poverty, improving health services, expanding digital connectivity, and advancing environmental sustainability and resilience.
Economic development
The 2026 SDGs report shows steps toward eradicating poverty (SDG 1) have been somewhat successful. This is especially true in East Asian and Southeast Asian countries, where 73% of countries showed pro-poor growth between 2015 and 2025—economic growth that benefits the poorest people the most. The numbers of people defined as “working poor” in Central Asian and South Asian countries fell from almost 16 per cent to 5.2 per cent in that same period. However, extreme poverty rose in Pacific small island developing States (SIDS) during the global COVID pandemic, highlighting the vulnerability of these countries to global shocks.
In terms of decent work and economic growth (SDG 8), labor productivity generally increased — in East Asia and Southeast Asia by as much as 3.5 per cent. Child labor in the Asia-Pacific region overall fell from 49 million to 28 million between 2020 and 2025. These trends conceal wide disparities, however. While the unemployment rate in general fell, young women worldwide are twice as likely than young men to be “not in education, employment or training” (NEET) — and in Central and South Asian countries this is four times more likely to be the case. Reports from East and Southeast Asian countries also indicated labor rights for workers in general have eroded.
In industry, innovation and infrastructure (SDG 9), East Asia leads the Asia Pacific region. East Asian countries account for 23% of global trade by sea, overtaking Europe’s share by 2024. However, geopolitical tensions over key transport routes, including the Strait of Hormuz, have greatly increased transport costs and uncertainties. Though their share of seaborne trade is small, Pacific SIDS are particularly vulnerable to rising transport costs and supply chain disruptions. Manufacturing value added per capita—a measure of a country’s level of industrialisation and economic development—increased in mainland Asia, while shrinking somewhat in Australia and New Zealand. Globally, manufacturing is generating fewer jobs than it used to. Capital and technology now play a relatively greater role in manufacturing, and the ensuing benefits are likely to flow to those already economically well-off.
Social progress
Hunger and malnutrition (SDG 2) generally reduced in the Asia-Pacific region. South Asian countries drove much of the global reduction in child stunting and wasting, while East and Southeast Asian countries have achieved a good level of dietary diversity, an essential factor in good health and nutrition
Health (SDG 3) also generally improved. South Asian countries accounted for much of the progress, as they reduced maternal mortality rates by almost 30 per cent. Adolescent birth rates and under-5 mortality also have fallen during the last 10 years. However, vulnerability to lifestyle diseases is at risk of rising as alcohol consumption—which globally is trending downwards—has increased in Central and South Asian countries.
Education access and completion(SDG 4) rose overall. East and Southeast Asian countries led on this front, successfully increasing education completion rates at primary, secondary and upper secondary levels, and rising from an already-high baseline of near-universal access. Central and South Asian countries achieved a more than 30% increase in electricity access for schools, significantly boosting education opportunities.
Gender equality (SDG 5) remains a work in progress, especially in Central and South Asian countries, where women hold fewer parliamentary and local government seats than men.
Progress on access to water and energy (SDGs 6 and 7) was mixed. East and Southeast Asian countries led the world in uptake of renewable energy, increasing renewable energy capacity by four times in the past decade. The Republic of Korea stands out for successfully decreasing its primary energy intensity—a measure of how much energy an economy uses to generate economic output.
On reducing inequalities (SDG 10), East and Southeast Asia performed best in the region, with 73 per cent of countries in this subregion achieving indicators for inclusive growth, compared with just 38 per cent of Central and South Asian countries. Whereas countries in East Asia, Southeast Asia and Oceania (excluding Australia and New Zealand) reduced their share of people living on less than half the national median income, in Central and South Asian countries income inequality actually rose.
Environmental actions and impacts
Action on sustainable cities (SDGs 11) and responsible consumption and production (SDG 12) progressed, though with mixed outcomes. Central and South Asian countries still record the highest levels of air pollution worldwide, but have greatly reduced pollution from 2010 levels; so too have East and Southeast Asian countries. In contrast to the trend in many other countries, Japan has greatly reduced levels of food loss, food waste and electronic waste since the year 2000, through conducting city-level measurement and engaging multistakeholder collaboration in tackling the issues.
On climate and the environment (SDGs 13, 14 and 15), the picture again is mixed. Global greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, but the trajectory has flattened somewhat, showing the impact of climate policies. China reduced its emissions by more than 1 per cent, even as other countries’ emissions continue to rise. The region remains highly vulnerable to disasters. Oceans are warming rapidly, intensifying tropical storms. The loss of sea ice elsewhere is also contributing to sea level rise, an existential threat to Pacific SIDS. Ocean acidification has increased with the absorption of carbon emissions, and this is happening more rapidly in some parts of the Asia Pacific, including the Indian Ocean, Southern Ocean, and the eastern equatorial Pacific.
The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework commits countries to protecting 30 per cent of their land and waters by 2030. As of April 2025, more than 10 per cent of oceans were designated as protected areas. Some parts of the region have improved fisheries sustainability, with the Southwest Pacific and Southeast Asia doing better than the global average. On land, French Polynesia, Indonesia, and New Zealand were among countries announcing newly protected areas in 2025. However, Southeast Asia has lost more than 14 per cent of its forests since 1990, and South Asia’s warm-water coral reefs are rapidly declining.
On peace and institutions (SDG 16), the region likewise presents a mixed picture. Homicide rates are relatively lower in Central and South Asia as well as East and Southeast Asia than in other parts of the world. However, the Central and South Asian subregion reports among the highest median bribery rates in the world; in recent data, 22.5 per cent of people reported paying or being asked to pay a bribe to a public official. In Europe, that number was 9 per cent.
On partnerships for the Goals (SDG 17), it is clear other sources of funding besides ODA will be needed. Private-sector investment could supplement shrinking aid budgets, but is more volatile and tends to flow to the more economically developed countries. One important source of funding is migrant worker remittances; India leads as the world’s largest recipient.
Overall, some types of inequalities persist even as the Asia-Pacific region continues to progress on many of the SDGs. Gender inequalities appear deeply entrenched in some places, geographic isolation imposes its own challenges to Pacific SIDS, and climate impacts are unavoidable in the short term. Regional and international partnerships continue to be essential; as Cambodia emphasized in their remarks to the HLPF, “no country can achieve the SDGs alone.”
Delia Paul is an associate of the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), and an affiliate of Monash University’s Global Peace and Security research hub in Australia.