Introduction

Welcome to the seventh edition of SDG Pulse – UNCTAD’s annual statistical publication tracking developments related to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development -—
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and the SDGs. As we enter the last five years of the 2030 Agenda, concerns about achieving sustainable development for all are severely mounting. Economic and social distress, particularly for those most in need, is exacerbated by tariff escalation, wars, climate disruptions, energy insecurity and fragile supply chains impacting developing countries’ ability to meet the SDGs. UNCTAD Secretary-General’s report ahead of 16th session of the Conference urges for development to progress against the odds -—
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. During this process, the need for reliable information becomes even more critical.

This report serves three main purposes: firstly, to provide an update on the evolution of selected official SDG indicators and complementary data and statistics; secondly, to report on progress in developing new concepts and methodologies for SDG indicators for which UNCTAD serves as a global custodian; and, thirdly, to showcase UNCTAD’s support to member States in implementing the 2030 Agenda. Building on the previous edition, SDG Pulse continues to track progress according to four transformations identified at UNCTAD’s intergovernmental meeting in Bridgetown -—
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: multilateralism and trade, development finance, diversification, and sustainability and resilience.

The report also delves into thematic issues relevant to the 2030 Agenda. This year’s In-Focus topic explores critical minerals. UNCTAD defines critical minerals not only by their global importance and supply risks but by their relevance for trade and development, reflecting the priorities of developing economies. Trade in critical minerals shapes energy transition, digital transformation, and industrial development worldwide. As such, UNCTAD’s new preliminary list of critical minerals enables the analysis of global trade in minerals and supports SDG-aligned national strategies.

The report is arranged in a way that it can be read by theme, and by goal and indicator. In 2025, the online report will also be accompanied by a PDF publication to provide the key highlights of SDG Pulse.

Theme Theme

In the thematic view, the data and analysis are organized according to the four themes outlined by the Bridgetown Covenant -—
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. These include multilateralism and trade, development finance, diversification, and sustainability and resilience. UNCTAD's work contributes significantly to these themes and progress across a broad spectrum of related SDG indicators. Through this thematic lens, the report discusses recent trends in trade, including barriers to trade and how trade remains a powerful enabler of sustainable development. It also covers financial resource mobilization, South-South cooperation, investment, debt sustainability, and illicit financial flows. The theme of diversification discusses structural transformation in mitigating the technology gap and the role of digital technologies for diversification. Furthermore, uncertainties and disruptions in maritime transport and emissions are at the core of the sustainability and resilience theme.

Goals and indicators Goals and indicators

In the goals-and-indicators view, the content is organized according to SDGs and their related indicators. These are selected to align with UNCTAD’s broad mandate in trade and development, investment, finance, and technology. The SDG indicators presented in this report are supplemented with additional data and official statistics to provide a comprehensive understanding of development. The SDG indicators presented in this report are:

Goal 1Goal 9Goal 10Goal 12Goal 16Goal 17

Goal 1: No poverty

  • Indicator 1.5.1: Number of deaths, missing persons and directly affected persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 population.
  • Indicator 1.5.2: Direct economic loss attributed to disasters in relation to global gross domestic product (GDP).

Goal 9: Industry, innovation and infrastructure

  • Indicator 9.1.2: Passenger and freight volumes, by mode of transport.*
  • Indicator 9.2.1: Manufacturing value added as a proportion of GDP and per capita.
  • Indicator 9.2.2: Manufacturing employment as a proportion of total employment.
  • Indicator 9.4.1: CO2 emission per unit of value added.
  • Indicator 9.5.1: Research and development expenditure as a proportion of GDP.
  • Indicator 9.c.1: Proportion of population covered by a mobile network, by technology.

Goal 10: Reduce inequality

  • Indicator 10.a.1: Proportion of tariff lines applied to imports from LDCs and developing countries with zero-tariff*.

Goal 12: Responsible consumption & production

  • Indicator 12.6.1: Number of companies publishing sustainability reports*.

Goal 16: Peace, justice and strong institutions

  • Indicator 16.4.1: Total value of inward and outward illicit financial flows*.

Goal 17: Partnership for the goals

  • Indicator 17.2.1: Net official development assistance, total and to LDCs.
  • Indicator 17.3.1: Additional financial resources mobilized for developing countries from multiple sources*.
  • Indicator 17.4.1: Debt service as a proportion of exports of goods and services.
  • Indicator 17.5.1: Implement investment promotion regimes for LDCs*.
  • Indicator 17.10.1: Worldwide weighted tariff-average*.
  • Indicator 17.11.1 Developing countries’ and least developed countries’ share of global exports*.
  • Indicator 17.12.1: Average tariffs faced by developing countries, LDCs and SIDS*.

This includes the indicators for which UNCTAD serves as a custodian or co-custodian. SDG indicators under (co)custodianship of UNCTAD fall under goals 9, 10, 12, 16 and 17, encompassing topics such as trade, tariffs, development finance and South-South cooperation, debt, investment, illicit financial flows, maritime transport, and enterprise sustainability.

Custodian agencies of SDG indicators, including UNCTAD, are responsible for developing international standards and recommending methodologies for measuring SDG indicators. They are also tasked with compiling and verifying country data and metadata, and for submitting the data, alongside regional and global aggregates, to the Global SDG Indicator Database and Report, updated by the United Nations Statistics Division. The custodian agencies’ role is to enhance the accuracy and consistency of SDG reporting worldwide to facilitate informed decision-making towards strengthening SDG achievement by 2030.

See UNCTAD custodian indicators in the graph below.

UNCTAD in Action UNCTAD in Action

UNCTAD operates an extensive capacity development programme to support progress towards the 2030 Agenda. This report showcases case studies from UNCTAD’s development programme through a statistical lens, presenting UNCTAD’s activities and achievements in hard numbers. These case studies are pivotal as they exemplify the Results Based Management approach, adopted by UNCTAD, to improve our responsiveness and accountability to member States.

In Focus In Focus

Each year, the SDG Pulse focuses on a specific aspect of the 2030 Agenda, examining it through the lens of statistics. The global shift toward a low-carbon economy has intensified the demand for critical minerals, placing resource-rich developing countries at the center of a new geopolitical and economic landscape. In this context, UNCTAD plays a pivotal role from the development perspective by promoting fair, inclusive, and sustainable trade in critical minerals, particularly through its co-leadership of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Panel on Critical Energy Transition Minerals. The Panel focuses on critical energy transition minerals and how to resource the energy transition towards equity and justice.

The study showcases UNCTAD’s new data and a preliminary list of critical minerals and highlights that trade in critical minerals is highly regionally specialized with top minerals producers not always the top exporters, and that trade in critical minerals is under the influence of export restrictions; as well as at high risk of illicit financial flows.

Data and classifications

All data used in maps and charts can be downloaded by clicking on the top right of each data visualization.

Disclaimer

The designations employed and the presentation of material in this website do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The term “country” as used in this material also refers, as appropriate, to territories or areas.
The boundaries and names shown and the designations used on the maps on this site do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the United Nations.
Read the full disclaimer for maps.

The designations “developing” and “developed” are intended for statistical convenience and do not necessarily express a judgement about the stage reached by a particular country or area in the development process. UNCTAD’s grouping of developing and developed economies is based on the former development status classification of the M49 standard, with some recent updates. For more details, see the UNCTADstat classification page.

In addition, external experts from UNDRR and UNODC provided crucial support in drafting the report.

Notes

  • Indicator for which UNCTAD is a custodian or co-custodian agency.

References

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