U.S. National Statistics for the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals
The official website of the United States of America for U.S. National Statistics for the Sustainable Development Goals.
Learn more >Start Here: Sustainable Development Goals FAQ
1. What are the Sustainable Development Goals?
The Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs, are a shared blueprint and urgent call to action by all countries, in global partnership, to achieve prosperity and peace for people and planet. They are a universal development agenda that applies to all countries and all people, rooted in universal values, common interests, and shared aspirations. The 17 Goals are interconnected, meaning that progress in one will help achieve others. They were adopted by 193 countries in 2015 for achievement by 2030.
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2. What are SDG Targets and Indicators?
For each Sustainable Development Goal, there is a set of specific targets that will help meet the Goal. There are 169 total targets across the 17 SDGs.
These targets also include 248 indicators (231 unique indicators, with 13 that repeat under two or three different targets). The indicators are a starting set of measurements that can be used to assess progress towards achievement of the Goals.
Governments and organizations at all levels also develop their own indicators to monitor progress made on the Goals and targets that are most relevant to them and that reflect best practice and learning.
Learn more:
- United Nations Indicators Database
- United Nations Data Commons for the SDGs
- SDG Tracker: Measuring progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals
3. Are the SDGs, the 2030 Agenda, and the Global Goals the same thing?
The SDGs are often referred to as the Global Goals and are the same thing. The 2030 Agenda is a larger framework described in a resolution agreed upon through multilateral negotiations that, in addition to the Goals, includes overarching principles, the timeline, and processes for SDG implementation and review.
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4. How were the Sustainable Development Goals created?
The Sustainable Development Goals were preceded by a set of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that ran from 2000 to 2015, mainly focused on global poverty and international assistance. As the MDGs timeline was ending, a conversation began about what should follow them. The idea began to take hold that this was an opportunity for a new set of goals that could connect a lot of dots and be relevant to all — expressing aspirations for a healthier, safer, and fairer world that were relevant to all societies.
The starting point for developing the 2030 Agenda was the 20th anniversary of the Earth Summit in 2012 (Rio+20), which created an Open Working Group to develop a new set of goals. A “High-level Panel on the Post-2015 Development Agenda” was also launched to spark fresh thinking. These contributed to a multilateral process that has often been called the “most inclusive negotiating process in UN history,” involving all countries, public consultations, expert briefings, a worldwide survey, and high-level deliberations. Agenda 2030 was formally adopted at a historic summit at the UN in September 2015.
Learn more:
- Background on the Goals
- Millennium Development Goals
- United Nations Sustainable Development Summit 2015
5. What are the 5 Ps, and how are they connected to the SDGs?
The “5 Ps” of the SDGs are:
- 1. People
- 2. Planet
- 3. Prosperity
- 4. Peace
- 5. Partnership
These focus areas highlight the intertwined nature of the 17 Goals and are used by educators and communicators as a way to consider stakeholders, impacts, and progress on the Goals. This expands on the three Ps used in many definitions of sustainability (people, planet, and profits), with recognition of the importance of peace and partnership to achieving and maintaining sustainable development for all.
Learn more:
- The 5Ps of the SDGs: People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace and Partnership
- The Sustainable Development Goals in 2019: People, Planet, and Prosperity in Focus
6. What is the connection between the SDGs and the United Nations?
The United Nations, established in 1945 and now made up of 193 Member States, is the place where every country in the world can come together and tackle common challenges. The SDGs and Agenda 2030 were negotiated at the UN through a comprehensive process over multiple years.
While created through UN processes and negotiations, the Sustainable Development Goals are not the UN’s Goals – they are goals that belong to every country and every citizen on Earth.
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7. What do the SDGs require countries to do?
Technically, nothing! The SDGs are not a treaty nor are they legally binding, rather, they are an invitation to citizens and communities to stimulate action around the issues that matter most to them. The 2030 Agenda established a series of steps for reviewing progress toward the Goals, and governments and organizations around the world report on SDG progress in various forms. The United Nations also releases an annual global progress report.
Learn more:
- The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2024
- The state of the Sustainable Development Goals in the United States (UN Foundation and Brookings Institution)
- UN SDG Actions Platform
- The U.S. Commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals
8. How do countries report on the SDGs, and has the United States reported?
The mechanism for countries to report on SDG progress is called a Voluntary National Review or VNR. While not required, most countries have regularly reviewed their progress as an opportunity to share experience and learning. As of July 2024, the only countries that have not produced a VNR are the United States, Haiti, and Myanmar.
The SDGs have also stimulated innovations in reporting progress. In 2018, New York City was the first in the United States to present a Voluntary Local Review or VLR and invited other local and regional governments to join the movement. Several other U.S. cities, including Los Angeles, Orlando, and Pittsburgh have since presented VLRs.
In addition to country-led reports, the United Nations releases an annual report assessing global SDG progress, and our resource library includes numerous resources for local governments to engage on the SDGs.
Learn more:
- Voluntary Local Reviews
- New York City Voluntary Local Review Declaration
- City Playbook for Advancing the SDGs
- Local leadership driving progress on the Sustainable Development Goals
- U.S. National Statistics for the Sustainable Development Goals
9. How do organizations report on the SDGs?
Some organizations are also choosing to voluntarily report on the Sustainable Development Goals or are using the SDGs as a lens for ESG (environmental, social, and governance) compliance and reporting. Approaches vary widely — some organizations include SDG logos in their reporting of aligned activities, while others undertake an extensive alignment and mapping process to integrate SDGs within their core activities and success metrics.
Learn more:
• SDG Action Manager
• Reporting on the SDGs
10. What is the Leave No One Behind Agenda, and why does it exist?
At the heart of the SDGs has always been a commitment to focus on the most vulnerable in all our societies at risk of being “left behind” by progress. Leave No One Behind – or LNOB – has thus been core to the SDGs from the very beginning and reflected in both the Goals and targets, as well as indicators that aim to measure how the most vulnerable among us are faring in relation to the Goals. The center of this is a commitment by all countries to focus on the most vulnerable first, and to “eradicate poverty in all its forms, end discrimination and exclusion, and reduce the inequalities and vulnerabilities that leave people behind and undermine the potential of individuals and of humanity as a whole.”
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11. How are climate change and the Paris Agreement connected to the SDGs?
It is universally understood that strong climate action is essential to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. The SDGs include a dedicated climate goal (Goal 13) and 12 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals address climate change in some form — from sustainable agriculture to green infrastructure to safe, affordable, and renewable energy for all. The Paris Agreement was adopted three months after the 2030 Agenda.
Learn more:
• Goal 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts (see “Paris Agreement – Frequently Asked Questions)
• Action on Climate and SDGs
• Connections between the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda: the case for policy coherence
12. What is the American Leadership on the Sustainable Development Goals initiative?
American Leadership on the SDGs is an initiative of the United Nations Foundation and the Center for Sustainable Development at the Brookings Institution. This initiative connects domestic stakeholders across all sectors working to achieve the SDGs at home and abroad, and highlights stories, best practices, and lessons learned from the people and places making progress on the Goals that matter to current and future generations.
For more information on the SDGs in the U.S., please refer to this Communications Toolkit and our full resource library. Questions about this FAQ? Contact us.
