Where We Actually Stand at Halftime: An Independent SDG Midpoint Accountability Report

Historical Note: This paper was prepared in August 2023 as an assessment of global progress at the halfway point of the 2030 Agenda and in advance of the SDG Summit held on 18–19 September 2023. The analysis reflects evidence publicly available up to the stated analytical cut-off of 31 August 2023. The paper is published as a historical research assessment and does not retrospectively incorporate subsequent developments into its contemporaneous findings. As the international community approaches the midpoint of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, this independent assessment provides a comprehensive, evidence-based analysis of global progress across all seventeen Sustainable Development Goals. Drawing on data available as of 31 August 2023 from the United Nations Statistical System, the Sustainable Development Solutions Network, the World Bank, and other authoritative sources, this report presents a goal-by-goal evaluation of where the world stands at the halfway mark. The analysis reveals a sobering picture: among the globally assessable SDG targets with sufficient trend data, approximately 15 percent are on track or have met their targets, approximately 48 percent are moderately or severely off track, and approximately 37 percent are stagnating or regressing. The cascading impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, rising inflation, and the climate crisis have undermined advances across virtually every Goal. This report was prepared by the Advocacy Unified Network (AUN) through the Opus Publica academic publishing platform in the period preceding the 2023 SDG Summit, with the intention of informing the Political Declaration and the deliberations of Heads of State and Government during UNGA High-Level Week. The SDG Impact Mapper, developed by AUN Digital, was used as a visualisation and synthesis tool in preparing this assessment.