None of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will be achieved by 2030 based on the progress of its implementation by 193 countries, according to the Sustainable Development Report (SDR) 2025 released on 24 June by the non-profit Sustainable Development Solutions Network and Bertelsmann Stiftung.
At the global level, SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), SDG 14 (Life Below Water), SDG 15 (Life on Land) and SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions) are particularly off track, facing major challenges and showing no or very limited progress since 2015, when the first SDR was released.
Progress on SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals) is also very limited, due in part to global failures to address persisting gaps in access to financing for developing countries and to stark disparities in countries’ support for UN-based multilateralism, the report said.
Less than 20 percent of the SDG targets are on track to be achieved globally (16.7 percent). The five targets most on track are: Mobile use (SDG 9), Access to electricity (SDG 7), Internet use (SDG 9), Under 5 mortality rate (SDG 3) and Neonatal mortality (SDG 3). By contrast, most countries are either stagnating or backsliding on the following five targets: Obesity rate (SDG 2), Press Freedom Index (SDG 16), Sustainable Nitrogen Management Index (SDG 2), Red List Index (SDG 15) and Corruption Perception Index (SDG 16).
Meanwhile, SDG performance of 167 countries remains wide, with 2025 SDG Index scores ranging from over 80 in top-performing countries to below 50 in countries where SDG implementation is especially challenging, often due to various forms of conflict.
As in previous SDR editions, European countries, particularly the Nordic countries, top the 2025 SDG Index. Finland ranks first with a score of 87, followed by Sweden (85.7) and Denmark (85.3). However, even these countries face substantial challenges in achieving several SDGs, notably SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), SDG 13 (Climate Action) and SDG 15 (Life on Land), partly driven by unsustainable consumption patterns and negative international spillover effects.
Countries at the lower end of the Index tend to be affected by conflict, security issues, political or socioeconomic instability, and limited fiscal space. In the 2025 edition, Yemen (47.7), Somalia (46.1), Chad (46), the Central African Republic (45.2), and South Sudan (41.6) rank at the bottom of the SDG Index.
The Philippines ranks 87th in the lower half of the index with a score of 68.3.
Based on the regional dashboard, the country is experiencing significant challenges in SDGs 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 17. It faces major challenges in SDG 3, 9, 10, 11, 14, 15 and 16. It has significant achievement in SDG 12 while challenges remain for SDG 13.
The country is also in the top five of the East and South Asia region showcasing the fastest SDG index progress from 2015 to 2024. It ranks third behind Nepal and Cambodia and followed by Bangladesh and Mongolia.