ALL SDG Goals

In September 2023 the SDG Summit will mark the mid-point of the period designated to fulfil the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This milestone is expected to lead to a new phase of accelerated progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However with the reverberating impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic the war in Ukraine surging inflation and public debt and the deteriorated short-term economic outlook this will undoubtedly be challenging globally as well as in the UNECE region. In view of these concurrent crises the United Nations Secretary-General has called for an urgent rescue effort for the Sustainable Development Goals.

This publication assesses progress of UNECE countries towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals relying on the data available in the United Nations global SDG indicators database. Stories on specific topics provide a closer look at how various regional and country level actions relate to sustainable development outcomes. The assessment covers every goal and target for which there are data and for which it is possible to set a target value. The assessment looks at the trends at the regional level only. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development recognizes the pivotal role of the regional dimension in its implementation follow-up and review. Actions at the regional level bridge the global and national levels and provide the necessary focus for international exchanges of experience and peer learning.

The report covers the dependencies between population growth and the Sustainable Development Goals focusing on regions were population numbers are rising fast. The analysis elaborates on the social economic and environmental implications of population growth. It highlights demographic trends and drivers of population change namely fertility mortality and international migration and describes the complex interaction between of population growth and poverty hunger health education and human capital gender equality sustained economic growth and decent work. It further investigates the impact of population growth on the environment.

Since the middle of the twentieth century world population has more than tripled in size rising from around 2.5 billion in 1950 to almost 7.9 billion in 2021. Projections by the United Nations suggest that the size of the global population could grow to almost 11 billion by the end of the twenty-first century when it is expected to stabilize. A growth rate close to zero around 2100 would signal the end of the current era of rapid population growth which began around 1800 in some regions and in the middle of the twentieth century on a global scale.

This report was prepared by staff of the Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs under the supervision of its Director John Wilmoth. The editorial team consisting of John Wilmoth Clare Menozzi and Lina Bassarsky consolidated the contributions from various colleagues (see below) and wrote the final report. Frank Swiaczny formerly Assistant Director of the Population Division contributed to the initial design of the report and led the editorial team in the early stages.

The Goals and the narrative of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development emphasize the importance of the spatial dimension of sustainable development. Most of the world’s low-income countries are experiencing rapid population growth. Some middle-income countries are also among the fastest growing. Projections suggest a diverging world over the next few decades with some countries experiencing continued population increase and others population decline. The population of Europe is expected to fall by 5 per cent between 2020 and 2050 while the population of sub-Saharan Africa is projected to double in size over the same period. Expected future changes in population size in the other world regions fall in between these two extremes.

Charting a path towards a more sustainable future requires demographic foresight: anticipating the nature and the consequences of major population shifts before and while they occur and adopting forward-looking and proactive policies guided by such analysis. Today in many low-income and lower-middle-income countries rapid population growth adds to the challenges of achieving social and economic development. The continuing high levels of fertility that drive such growth are both a symptom and a cause of slow progress in development often linked to a lack of choice and empowerment among women and girls. Achieving the Goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda especially those related to reproductive health education women’s empowerment and gender equality would likely contribute to slowing the pace of global population growth. Yet changes in population trends alone will do little to resolve unsustainable patterns of resource use. Achieving sustainability will depend critically on humanity’s capacity and willingness to increase resource efficiency in consumption and production and to decouple economic growth from damage to the environment with high-income and upper-middle-income countries taking responsibility and leading by example.

Changes in the age distribution resulting from fertility declines taking place in countries with rapidly growing populations can help set those countries onto a path of sustained economic growth on a per capita basis. Such growth is essential for creating jobs and lifting people out of poverty. Countries where the fertility level is high but declining can benefit from a “demographic dividend” resulting from the increased concentration of population in the working age range following the decline of fertility. The impact of the favourable age distribution on the rate of economic growth per capita can be amplified by enacting appropriate social and economic policies. Investments in education and health and the promotion of full and productive employment for all including for women and other groups traditionally excluded from the labour force can double or even triple the positive economic impact of the favourable age structure created by a decline in fertility.

Environmental damage often arises from the economic processes that lead to higher standards of living especially when the full social and environmental costs such as damage from pollution are not factored into decisions about resource extraction production and consumption. Population growth amplifies such environmental pressures by adding to total economic demand. However the countries contributing most to unsustainable patterns of resource use are generally those where income per capita is high and populations are growing slowly if at all not those where income per capita is low and populations are growing rapidly. Looking forward countries that currently have relatively low per capita incomes and high levels of fertility will need to achieve robust and sustained economic growth if they are to meet the Goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Promoting sustained economic growth in such countries without further damaging the environment will require support from the international community.