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United Nations

Economic and Social Council

Distr.: General
28 April 2020
Original: English

2020 session
25 July 2019–22 July 2020
Agenda items 5 (a) and 6
High-level segment: ministerial meeting of the high-level
political forum on sustainable development, convened under
the auspices of the Economic and Social Council
High-level political forum on sustainable development,
convened under the auspices of the Economic andSocial Council

Progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals
Report of the Secretary-General
Summary
In accordance with General Assembly resolution 70/1, the Secretary-General, in
cooperation with the United Nations system, has the honour to transmit the 2020 reporton progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. The present report provides
a global overview of the current situation of the Goals based on the latest available
data on indicators in the global indicator framework.

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Introduction
1.
In September 2019, Heads of State and Government came together at the
Sustainable Development Goals Summit to renew their determination to implement
the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In doing so, they recognized that thefirst four years of its implementation had included important progress, but that,
overall, the world was not on track to deliver its commitments to sustainable
development by 2030. In that context, I launched the decade of action and delivery
for sustainable development, urging all actors to dramatically increase the pace andscale of implementation efforts.
2.
In the present report, the urgency of such efforts is underscored. Drawing on thelatest data, it illustrates the continued unevenness of progress and the many areas inwhich significant improvement is required. 1 Through the end of 2019, progresscontinued to be made in some areas: global poverty continued to decline, albeit at a
slower pace; maternal and child mortality rates were reduced; more people gained
access to electricity; and countries were developing national policies to support
sustainable development and signing international environmental protection
agreements. In other areas, however, progress had either stalled or been reversed: thenumber of persons suffering from hunger was on the rise, climate change wasoccurring much more quickly than anticipated and inequality continued to increase
within and among countries.
3.
Perhaps even more concerning, however, are the impacts and implications of thecoronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic on all 17 Goals, which are highlighted in
the present report. What began as a health crisis has quickly become the worst humanand economic crisis in a lifetime. As at the end of April, the coronavirus had spreadto more than 200 countries and territories, the number of confirmed cases rose to morethan 3.2 million and the global death toll passed 230,000. The effects of the pandemic
and the measures taken to mitigate its impact have overwhelmed health systems
globally, caused businesses and factories to shut down and had a severe impact on the
livelihoods of half of the global workforce, kept 1.6 billion students out of school anddisrupted global value chains and the supply of products and are expected to pushtens of millions of persons back into extreme poverty and hunger.
4.
The poorest and the most vulnerable, including women, children, older persons,
persons with disabilities, migrants and refugees and informal sector workers, arebeing affected disproportionately by the pandemic. Similarly, vulnerable countries,
including least developed countries, land-locked developing countries, small island
developing States and countries in humanitarian or fragile situations, stand to be hit
the hardest in the long term owing to the fragility of their health systems, the limited
coverage of their social protection systems, limited financial and other res ources,
vulnerability to external shocks and excessive dependence on international trade.
5.
The global crisis is also affecting critical operations throughout the entire global
statistical data system, with delays in planned censuses and surveys and serio us
disruptions in all statistical operations. National and international statisticalorganizations will need renewed action and support to ensure the continuity of key
statistical compilation activities and the availability of data to inform emergency
mitigation actions by governments and all sectors of society to respond to the crisisand continue the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.

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The information in the present report is based on the latest available data as at April 2020. The
statistical annex and the Global Sustainable Development Goal Indicators Database are available
at https://unstats.un.org/sdgs.
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6.
The above-mentioned data underscore the need for international solidarity andcooperation more than ever. The United Nations family is responding across all pillars
and all aspects of the crisis. I have called for a large-scale, coordinated andcomprehensive multilateral response amounting to at least 10 per cent of global grossdomestic product (GDP) and pushed for a series of measures to give developing
countries the financial firepower that they need to weather the storm. Furthermore,
the United Nations Sustainable Development Group has agreed on a dedicatedsocioeconomic framework and is mobilizing and repurposing resou rces to maximize
the collective offer of the United Nations to governments at such a critical time.
7.
While the crisis is imperilling progress towards the Goals, it also makes theirachievement all the more urgent and necessary. It is essential that recen t gains beprotected as much as possible and that a truly transformative recovery fromCOVID-19 be pursued, one that reduces the risk of future crises and brings muchcloser the inclusive and sustainable development required to meet the goals of the2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement on climate change, the first task of the decadeof action. Those undertakings will require leadership, foresight, innovation, financeand collaboration among all governments and all stakeholders. As the United Nations
marks its seventy-fifth anniversary, they will also require a surge in international
cooperation and multilateralism.
8.
To ensure that the world emerges from the crisis stronger, the United Nations,
all governments and all partners have to stay the course togethe r.

Goal 1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere
9.
Even before the pandemic, the pace of global poverty reduction was
decelerating, and it was projected that the global target of ending poverty by 2030
would be missed. The pandemic is pushing tens of millions of persons back into
extreme poverty, undoing years of progress. While the pandemic has highlighted theneed to strengthen social protection and emergency preparedness and response, thosemeasures are insufficient to safeguard the poor and the vulnerable, who most needthem.
10. After a decline, from 15.7 per cent in 2010 to 10.0 per cent in 2015, the pace of
reduction of extreme poverty slowed further, with a nowcast rate of 8.2 per cent in2019. The pandemic is reversing the trend of poverty reduction. According to the mostrecent estimates, the global extreme poverty rate is projected to be 8.4 to 8.8 per centin 2020, which is close to its level in 2017. Consequently, an estimated 40 to 60
million persons will be pushed back into extreme pov erty, the first increase in global
poverty in more than 20 years.
11. The share of the world’s workers living in extreme poverty fell, from 14.3 to 8.3
to 7.1 per cent in 2010, 2015 and 2019, respectively. Progress in that regard was lessencouraging for young workers: in 2019, 12.8 per cent of the world’s young workers
lived in extreme poverty, compared with only 6 per cent of all adult workers. The
pandemic is pushing millions of workers into unemployment, underemployment andworking poverty.
12. Based on 2016 data, 55 per cent of the world’s population, about 4 billion
persons, did not benefit from any form of social protection, which is critical to help
the poorest and the most vulnerable in the current crisis. At least half of the world’s
population still lacked full coverage of essential health services, and only 22 per centof unemployed workers were covered by unemployment benefits.
13. Hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, wildfires and other extreme natural disasters
exacerbate poverty. A total of 80 countries reported disaster-related losses for 2018,20-06176

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including 23,458 deaths and 2,164 persons missing. More than 39 million persons
were reported as affected, 29 million of whom saw their livelihood disrupted or
destroyed. In terms of direct economic losses, $23.6 billion was reported by countries,
73 per cent of which was attributed to the agricultural sector.

Goal 2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutritionand promote sustainable agriculture
14. The total number of persons suffering from severe food insecurity has been on
the rise since 2015, and there are still millions of malnourished children. The
economic slowdown and the disruption of food value chains caused by the pandemic
are exacerbating hunger and food insecurity. In addition, the upsurge in desert locustsremains alarming in East Africa and Yemen, where 35 million persons alreadyexperience acute food insecurity. Owing to the pandemic, some 370 million
schoolchildren are missing the free school meals that they rely on. Measures tostrengthen food production and distribution systems must be taken immediately to
mitigate and minimize the impacts of the pandemic.
15. An estimated 26.4 per cent of the world population, about 2 billion persons,
were affected by moderate or severe food insecurity in 2018, an increase from 23.2
per cent in 2014, owing mainly to increases in food insecurity in sub -Saharan Africa
and Latin America. Slightly more than 700 million persons, or 9.2 per cent of theworld population, experienced severe food insecurity in 2018, implying reductions in
the quantity of food consumed to the extent that they possibly experienced hunger.
16. The proportion of children under 5 years of age suffering from chronic
undernutrition, as well as stunting (being too short for one’s age), decreased, from
23.1 per cent in 2015 to 21.3 per cent in 2019. Globally, 144 million children under
5 years of age were still affected by stunting in 2019. Three quarters of them lived inCentral and Southern Asia or sub-Saharan Africa.
17. Globally, 47 million children under 5 years of age, or 6.9 per cent, were affectedby acute undernutrition or wasting (low weight for one’s height) in 2019 conditions
generally caused by limited nutrient intake and infection. More than half of the wasted
children lived in Central and Southern Asia. Childhood overweight affected 38
million children under 5 years of age worldwide, or 5.6 per cent, in 2019. Wastingand overweight may coexist at levels considered to be medium to high, the so -called
double burden of malnutrition. In Northern Africa and South -Eastern Asia, the rate of
wasting was 7.2 per cent and 8.2 per cent, respectively, while the rate of overweightwas 11.3 per cent and 7.5 per cent, respectively, in 2019.
18. The share of government expenditure in the agricultural sector, measured bygovernment expenditure in agriculture divided by the secto r’s share of GDP, fell
worldwide, from 0.42 to 0.31 to 0.28 per cent in 2001, 2015 and 2018, respectively.
Moreover, aid to agriculture in developing countries fell, from nearly 25 per cent of
all donors’ sector-allocable aid in the mid-1980s to only 5 per cent, in 2018.
19. In 2019, sharp increases in food prices were concentrated largely in sub-SaharanAfrica, driven by production shocks and macroeconomic difficulties. The lingering
impact of prolonged conflict and extreme weather conditions in some areas wereadditional factors.

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Goal 3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at
all ages
20. Progress in many health areas continues, but the rate of improvement has slowed
and will not be sufficient to meet most of the Goal 3 targets. The p andemic isdevastating health systems globally and threatens health outcomes already achieved.
Most countries, in particular poor ones, have insufficient health facilities, medical
supplies and health-care workers to meet the surge in demand. Countries nee dcomprehensive health strategies and increased spending on health systems to meeturgent needs and protect health workers, while a global coordinated effort is needed
to support countries in need.
Reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health
21. Globally, an estimated 295,000 maternal deaths occurred in 2017, resulting inan overall maternal mortality ratio of 211 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, a 4
per cent reduction compared with 2015 and a 38 per cent reduction compared with
2000. The majority of the deaths occurred in low - and lower-middle-income
countries, and roughly 66 per cent of them occurred in sub-Saharan Africa. At thecurrent pace of progress, the world will fall short of the target of the Goa l.
22. Worldwide, 81 per cent of births were assisted by skilled health professionals in
the period 2014–2019, up from 64 per cent in the period 2000–2005, with Central
Asia, Eastern Asia, Western Asia, Northern America and Europe nearly achieving
universal coverage.
23. The concerted effort of the global community continues to reduce preventablechild deaths, from a mortality rate of 76 deaths per 1,000 live births in children under
5 years of age in 2000 to 42 in 2015 to 39 in 2018. Notwithstanding the pr ogress,
some 5.3 million children died before reaching 5 years of age in 2018 alone, andnearly half of those deaths, or 2.5 million, occurred in the first month of life.
24. Globally, the proportion of women of reproductive age (15 to 49 years) whosefamily planning needs were met by modern contraceptive methods increased only
slightly, from 75.7 per cent in 2010 to around 77 per cent from 2015 to 2020, reaching
only 56 per cent in sub-Saharan Africa and 52 per cent in Oceania (excluding
Australia and New Zealand).
25. Worldwide, the adolescent birth rate fell steadily, from 45 births per 1,000
women 15 to 19 years of age in 2015 to 41 per 1,000 in 2020, with the highest rate,
101 per 1,000, in sub-Saharan Africa.
Infectious diseases
26. In 2018, there were an estimated 1.7 million new HIV infections, an incidence
rate of 0.24 per 1,000 uninfected persons among the total population, almost
unchanged from the level of 0.26 per 1,000 in 2015, putting the world off track inachieving the Sustainable Development Goal target. One in three of new HIV
infections globally occurred among women 15 to 49 years of age in sub -SaharanAfrica.
27. In 2018, an estimated 10 million persons fell ill with tuberculosis (89 per centwere adults, 63 per cent were men and 8.6 per cent were people living with HIV). The
incidence of tuberculosis declined, from 141 new and relapse cases per 100,000 persons
in 2015 to 132 in 2018. The tuberculosis mortality rate among HIV-negative people fell
by 8.3 per cent in the same period. However, large gaps in detection and treatment
persist, and the current pace of progress is not fast enough to meet the target of ending
the epidemic by 2030. Drug-resistant tuberculosis is also a continuing threat.
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28. After many years of impressive reductions in the global malaria burden,
progress has stalled. Globally, malaria incidence (the number of cases per 1,000
persons) fell, from 81 in 2000 to 57 in 2014, and remained at a similar level
throughout 2018. The world is not on a trajectory to achieve the Sustainable
Development Goal target of ending malaria.
29. The use of the hepatitis B vaccine in infants has reduced the incidence of newchronic hepatitis B virus infections considerably. The proportion of children under 5
years of age who became chronically infected fell, from 4.7 per cent in the pre-vaccine
era to 0.9 per cent in 2018.
30. In 2018, 1.76 billion persons were reported to have required mass or individual
treatment and care for neglected tropical diseases, down from 1.80 billion in 2015
and 2.19 billion in 2010. The 530 million persons requiring treatment and care in least
developed countries represented 52 per cent of the population of those countries,
down from 78 per cent in 2010. Progress has been driven largely by the fact that atleast one neglected tropical disease has been eliminated in 40 countries.
Non-communicable diseases, mental health and environmental risks
31. The probability of dying from cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes orchronic respiratory disease at between 30 and 70 years of age decreased, from 19 percent in 2010 to 18 per cent in 2016, a rate of decline that was insufficient to meet the
Sustainable Development Goal target.
32. Based on 2016 data, nearly 800,000 persons died every year by suicide, and 79
per cent of global suicides occurred in low- and middle-income countries.
33. The number of persons dying of tobacco-related illnesses was estimated to be
8.1 million in 2017. The global prevalence of tobacco use among men was 38.6 percent in 2018, compared with 8.5 per cent among women.
34. In 2016, indoor (household) and outdoor (ambient) air pollution caused some 7
million deaths worldwide. Inadequate water, sanitation and hygiene led to a total of
870,000 deaths in the same year.
Health systems and funding
35. Immunization is one of the world’s most successful and cost-effective healthinterventions. While vaccination coverage among infants increased, from 72 to 85 to
86 per cent in 2000, 2015 and 2018, respectively, an estimated 19.4 million children
did not receive essential vaccines in their first year of life. In addition, global
coverage levels of the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, which has the potential toreduce pneumonia significantly, have yet to reach 50 per cent coverage. Measles is ahighly contagious disease, and the 69 per cent coverage of the two -dose vaccine in2018 was insufficient to prevent a measles outbreak.
36. In 2017, only around one third to half of the global population was cove red byessential health services. If current trends continue, only 39 to 63 per cent of the
global population will be covered by essential health services by 2030.
37. The proportion of the population spending more than 10 per cent of its
household budget on out-of-pocket payment for health services increased
continuously, from 9.4 to 12.7 per cent (927 million persons), between 2000 and 2015.
At current rates, the proportion will reach 12.9 per cent, equal to 1 billion persons, in
2020. Nearly 90 million persons were pushed into extreme poverty owing to out-ofpocket medical expenses.
38. Official development assistance (ODA) for basic health from all donors
increased by 41 per cent in real terms since 2010, reaching $10 billion in 2018. In
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2018, about $1.7 billion was spent on malaria control, $0.8 billion on tuberculosis
control and $1.9 billion on other infectious diseases, excluding HIV/AIDS.
39. Based on data from the period 2013–2018, globally, women make up more than76 per cent of medical doctors and nursing personnel combined, but compose only
slightly more than 40 per cent of medical doctors and nearly 90 per cent of nursing
personnel.
40. In 2019, 166 countries reported the status of their capacity to implement theInternational Health Regulations with regard to preparedness for detecting, reporting
and responding to health emergencies such as COVID-19. Analysis shows that steadyprogress has been made in nearly every core capacity of the Regulations, except inhuman resources, compared with 2018.

Goal 4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education andpromote lifelong learning opportunities for all
41. At the end of 2019, millions of children and young people were still out ofschool, and more than half of those in school were not meeting minimum proficiency
standards in reading and numeracy. The closure of schools to slow the spread of
COVID-19 is having an adverse impact on learning outcomes and the social andbehavioural development of children and young people. It has affected more tha n 90
per cent of the world’s student population, 1.5 billion children and young people.
Although remote learning is provided to many students, children and young people invulnerable and disadvantaged communities, such as those living in remote areas,
extreme poverty, fragile states and refugee camps, do not have the same accessthereto. The digital divide will widen existing gaps in equality with regard toeducation.
42. In 74 countries with comparable data for the 2011–2019 period, around 7 in 10
children 3 and 4 years of age were on track developmentally in at least three of thefollowing domains: literacy-numeracy, physical development, social-emotional
development and learning.
43. Participation in organized learning one year before the official primary age ofentry grew steadily, from 62 per cent in 2010 to 67 per cent in 2018. However, variation
among countries is still wide, with values ranging from 9 to nearly 100 per cent.
44. The primary school completion rate reached 84 per cent in 2018, up from 70 per
cent in 2000. Under current trends, the rate is expected to reach 89 per cent globallyby 2030. In 2018, 258 million children, adolescents and young people 6 to 17 yearsof age were still out of school, representing 17 per cent of the global population ofthat age group. Parity between children or adolescents from the richest and poorest
quintiles of the population was achieved in 25 per cent of countries for primaryeducation, 21 per cent of countries for lower secondary education and only 1 per centof countries for upper secondary education.
45. In 2018, some 773 million adults, two thirds of them women, remained illiterate
in terms of reading and writing skills. The global adult literacy rate , for the population
15 years of age and older, was 86 per cent in 2018, while the youth literacy rate, for the
population 15 to 24 years of age, was 92 per cent. Southern Asia is home to nearly halfof the global illiterate population, and sub-Saharan Africa is home to one quarter thereof.
46. In 2019, less than one half of primary and lower secondary schools in
sub-Saharan Africa had access to electricity, the Internet, computers and basic
handwashing facilities, key basic services and facilities necessary to ensure a safe andeffective learning environment for all students.

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47. ODA for scholarships amounted to $1.6 billion in 2018, up from $1.3 billion in2017.
48. Based on data from 129 countries, the percentage of primary school teachers
receiving the minimum pedagogical training according to national standards
throughout the world has stagnated at 85 per cent since 2015. The percentage is lowest
in sub-Saharan Africa (64 per cent) and Southern Asia (72 per cent).

Goal 5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
49. The commitment to advancing gender equality has brought about improvements
in some areas, but the promise of a world in which every woman and girl enjoy fullgender equality and all legal, social and economic barriers to their empowerment havebeen removed remains unfulfilled. The current pandemic is also hitting women andgirls hard. Globally, women make up three quarters of medical doctors and nursing
personnel. Women already spend three times as many hours as men on unpaid carework at home. The closure of school and day-care centres requires parents, women inparticular, to care more for children and facilitate their learning at home. Reports fromseveral countries suggest that domestic violence against women and children is also
rising during the global lockdown.
50. In 2019, one in five young women 20 to 24 years of age throughout the world
was married in childhood, down from one in four in 2004 and with the highest figure
in sub-Saharan Africa, with more than one in three young women.
51. At least 200 million girls and women have been subjected to female genital
mutilation, according to recent data from the 31 countries where the practice isconcentrated. The harmful practice is becoming less common, but progress is not fastenough to meet the global target of its elimination by 2030.
52. As at 1 January 2020, representation by women in single or lower houses ofnational parliament reached 24.9 per cent, up slightly from 22.3 per cent in 2015.
Women have better access to decision-making positions at the local level, holding 36
per cent of elected seats in local deliberative bodies, based on data from 133 countries
and areas.
53. In 2019, 28 per cent of managerial positions in the world were occupied by
women, a small increase from 25 per cent in 2000, while women represented 39 percent of the world’s workers and half of the world’s working-age population.
54. Based on data from 57 countries for the period 2007–2018, only 55 per cent ofmarried or in-union women 15 to 49 years of age made their own decisions regarding
sexual and reproductive health and rights, ranging from less than 40 per cent inCentral and Western Africa to nearly 80 per cent in some countries in Europe, SouthEastern Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean.
55. In 2019, in the 75 countries with data, on average, 73 per cent of the laws andregulations needed to guarantee full and equal access to sexual and reproductive
health and rights were in place. The findings are particularly encouraging with regard
to HIV: on average, countries achieved 87 per cent of enabling laws and regulationsfor HIV counselling and test services, 91 per cent for HIV treatment and care services
and 96 per cent for HIV confidentiality.
56. Empowering women with mobile telephones has been shown to accelerate socialand economic development. However, in the 66 countries with data for the 2016–2018
period, the rate of mobile telephone ownership among men was on average 6.8
percentage points higher than the rate among women.

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Goal 6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of waterand sanitation for all
57. Billions of people throughout the world still lack access to safely managed waterand sanitation services and basic handwashing facilities at home, which are criticalto preventing spreading the spread of COVID-19. Immediate action to improve Water,
Sanitation and Hygiene for All (WASH) is critical to preventing infection andcontaining its spread.
58. In 2017, only 71 per cent of the global population used safely managed drinking
water and just 45 per cent used safely managed sanitation services, leaving 2.2 billion
persons without safely managed drinking water, including 785 million without evenbasic drinking water, and 4.2 billion without safely managed sanitation. Of those, 673
million persons still practised open defecation.
59. In 2016, one in four health-care facilities throughout the world lacked basic
water services, and one in five had no sanitation services.
60. In 2017, 3 billion persons lacked soap and water at home. In 2016, 47 per centof schools worldwide lacked handwashing facilities with available soap and water,and 40 per cent of health-care facilities were not equipped to practise hand hygieneat points of care.
61. Preliminary estimates from 79 mostly high- and higher-middle income countries
in 2019 suggest that, in about one quarter of the countries, less than half of allhousehold wastewater flows were treated safely.
62. In 2017, Central and Southern Asia and Northern Africa registered very highwater stress – defined as the ratio of fresh water withdrawn to total renewablefreshwater resources – of more than 70 per cent, followed by Western Asia andEastern Asia, with high water stress of 54 per cent and 46 per cent, respectively.
63. In 2018, 60 per cent of 172 countries reported very low, low and medium-low
levels of implementation of integrated water resources management and were unlikely
to meet the implementation target by 2030.
64. According to data from 67 countries, the average percentage of nationaltransboundary basins covered by an operational arrangement was 59 per cent in the
period 2017–2018. Only 17 countries reported that all of their transboundary basins
were covered by such arrangements. ·65. Globally, in 2018, slightly more than 2.1 per cent of land was covered by
freshwater bodies, although unevenly distributed, ranging from 3.5 per cent indeveloped countries to only 1.4 per cent in developing countries and 1.2 per cent and
1 per cent in least developed countries and small island developing States,
respectively. The adverse effects of climate change can decrease the extent offreshwater bodies, thereby worsening ecosystems and livelihoods.
66. ODA disbursements to the water sector increased to $9 billion, or 6 per cent, in
2018, following a decrease in such disbursements in 2017. However, ODA
commitments fell by 9 per cent in 2018. Because countries have signalled a funding
gap of 61 per cent between what is needed to achieve national drinking water andsanitation targets and available funding, increasing donor commitments to the watersector will remain crucial to make progress towards Goal 6.

Goal 7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable andmodern energy for all
67. The world is making good progress on increasing access to electricity andimproving energy efficiency. However, millions of people throughout the world still
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lack such access, and progress on facilitating access to clean cooking fuels andtechnologies is too slow. The pandemic has highlighted the need for reliable andaffordable electricity in health centres. In addition, a survey conducted in selecteddeveloping countries revealed that one quarter of the health facilities surveyed were
not electrified, and another quarter had unscheduled outages, affecting their capacity
to deliver essential health services. Such deficiencies weaken the health system’s
response to the current health crisis.
68. The global electrification rate rose, from 83 per cent in 2010 to 90 per cent by
2018. Latin America and the Caribbean and Eastern and South -Eastern Asia
maintained strong progress, exceeding 98 per cent access to electricity by 2018.
However, the world’s deficit was increasingly concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa,
where some 548 million persons, or 53 per cent of the population, lacked access toelectricity.
69. Access to clean cooking fuels and technologies increased to 63 per cent in 2018,from 60 per cent in 2015 and 56 per cent in 2010. Still, 2.8 billion persons lacked
such access and relied primarily on inefficient and polluting cooking systems.
Because of the stagnant rate and rapid population growth, in sub -Saharan Africa, thenumber of people without access to clean fuels for cooking increased.
70. The renewable energy share of total final energy consumption gradually
increased, from 16.3 per cent in 2010 to 17.0 per cent in 2015 and 17.3 per cent in2017. Much faster growth is required to meet long -term climate goals.
71. Global primary energy intensity (the energy used per unit of GDP) improved by
2.2 per cent annually, from 5.2 per cent in 2015 to 5.0 per cent in 2017, but was stillshort of the 2.7 per cent annual rate needed to reach target 7.3.
72. International financial flows to developing countries in support of clean andrenewable energy reached $21.4 billion in 2017, 13 per cent higher than in 2016 anda twofold increase from flows committed in 2010. Hydropower projects received 46
per cent of 2017 flows, while solar projects received 19 per cent, wind 7 per cent andgeothermal 6 per cent.

Goal 8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic
growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
73. Even before the current crisis, the global economy was growing at a slower rate
than in previous years notwithstanding improvements in labour productivity andunemployment. The pandemic has abruptly and profoundly disrupted it, pushing theworld into a recession. The unprecedented shock to the world’s labour markets is
expected to result in a decrease of around 10.5 per cent in aggregate working hours
in the second quarter of 2020, equivalent to 305 million full-time workers. Small andmedium enterprises, workers in informal employment, the self-employed, daily wage
earners and workers in sectors at the highest risk of disruption have been hit thehardest.
74. In 2018, the rate of growth of global real GDP per capita was 2 per cent. In
addition, the rate for least developed countries was 4.5 per cent in 2018, less than the
7 per cent growth rate targeted in the 2030 Agenda. The pandemic is pushing theworld into the worst global economic crisis since the Great Depression.
75. After a brief interruption during the global economic downturn of 2008–2009,
labour productivity has continued to grow; in 2019, it increased by 1.4 per cent fromthe previous year.

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76. Globally, 61 per cent of workers were in informal employment in 2016. The
need to rely on informal employment was more prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa andCentral and Southern Asia, where 89 per cent and 86 per cent of workers, respectively,
were in such employment. Owing to the unemployment and underemployment causedby the current crisis, some 1.6 billion workers in the informal economy, half of the
global workforce, are affected significantly. Globally, the income of informal workers
is estimated to fall by 60 per cent in the first months of the crisis.
77. Data on average hourly earnings cast light on income inequality. In a global
study conducted by the International Labour Organization, a factor-weighted gender
pay gap of 19 per cent in 2017 was revealed.
78. In 2019, the global unemployment rate stood at 5 per cent, with the highest rate,
11 per cent, in Northern Africa and Western Asia. The rate was considerably higher
among young workers than for adults in all regions in 2019, with the difference
reaching 18 percentage points in Northern Africa and Western Asia, 15 percentage
points in Central and Southern Asia and 12 percentage points in Latin America andthe Caribbean.
79. In 2019, 22 per cent of the world’s young people were not in employment,
education or training, a figure that has hardly changed since 2005.
80. In 2018, aid for trade commitments remained stable, at $58 billion, based on
current prices. South and Central Asia received the highest share thereof (31.4 percent), followed by sub-Saharan Africa (29.2 per cent). Lower-middle-income
countries received 37.5 per cent of aid for trade, followed by least developed countries(36.8 per cent).
81. According to data for 2019 from 102 countries, 98 per cent had a youth
employment strategy or a plan to develop one in the near future.

Goal 9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive andsustainable industrialization and foster innovation
82. Global growth in manufacturing had already steadily declined even before theoutbreak. The pandemic is hitting manufacturing industries hard and causing
disruptions in global value chains and the supply of product s.
83. The air transport sector has been hit the hardest by the pandemic. It is forecasted
that airlines will have 1.5 billion fewer international air travellers in 2020 and thatinternational seat capacity could fall by almost three quarters, resulting in a$273 billion loss, compared with previously expected gross operating revenues.
84. In 2019, manufacturing value added grew only 1.5 per cent since 2018, theslowest year-on-year growth rate since 2012, influenced primarily by tariff and tradetensions affecting all regions. Manufacturing activities are at high risk of disruption
during the current crisis, which will have an impact on the sector’s employment
levels.
85. The share of manufacturing in GDP in least developed countries increased, fr om
10 per cent in 2010 to 12.4 per cent in 2019, but the growth rate was too slow for thetarget, doubling the industry’s share in GDP by 2030, to be reached.
86. In 2019, 14 per cent of the world’s workers were employed in manufacturing
activities, a figure that has not changed much since 2000. The share of manufacturing
employment was the largest in Eastern and South-Eastern Asia (18 per cent) and thesmallest in sub-Saharan Africa (6 per cent).

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87. According to surveys covering the period from 2010 to the present, indeveloping countries, 34 per cent of small-scale industries benefit from loans or linesof credit, which enable them to integrate into local and global value chains. However,
only 22 per cent of small-scale industries in sub-Saharan Africa received loans orlines of credit, compared with 48 per cent in Latin America and the Caribbean.
88. After three years of stability, global carbon dioxide emissions from fuelcombustion started to rise again in 2017, reaching 32.8 billion t ons, underpinned byeconomic growth and a slowdown in efficiency improvements. However, the intensityof global carbon dioxide emissions has declined by nearly one quarter since 2000,
showing a general decoupling of carbon dioxide emissions from GDP growth . The
same trend was visible in manufacturing industries after 2010, with global
manufacturing intensity falling at an average annual rate of 3 per cent until 2017.
89. Globally, investment in research and development as a proportion of GDP
increased, from 1.5 per cent in 2000 to 1.7 per cent in 2015, and remained almost
unchanged in 2017, but was only less than 1 per cent in developing regions.
90. The number of researchers per 1 million inhabitants increased, from 1,018 in2010 to 1,198 in 2017, ranging widely, from 3,707 in Europe and Northern America
to only 99 in sub-Saharan Africa. In addition, women represented only 30 per cent of
global researchers.
91. Total official flows for economic infrastructure in developing countries reached$61 billion in 2018, an increase of 32.6 per cent in real terms from 2010. The main
sectors assisted were transport ($22.8 billion) and energy ($20.3 billion).
92. The share of medium-high and high-technology goods in world manufacturing
production reached nearly 45 per cent in 2017. Medium-high and high-technology
products continued to dominate manufacturing production in developed regions,reaching 49 per cent in 2017, compared with 9 per cent in least developed countries.
93. Nearly the entire world population lives in an area covered by a mobile network.
It is estimated that, in 2019, 96.5 per cent thereof was covered by at least a 2G
network, with 81.8 per cent covered by at least a long-term evolution network.

Goal 10. Reduce inequality within and among countries
94. Notwithstanding positive signs of reducing inequality in some dimensions, suchas a reduction of relative income inequality in some countries and preferential tradestatus benefiting lower-income countries, inequality still persists in all forms. The
COVID-19 crisis is hitting the poorest and most vulnerable people and countries thehardest and threatens to have a particularly damaging impact on the poorest countries.
It is exposing the profound inequalities that exist within and among countries and isexacerbating those inequalities.
95. In 73 of the 90 countries with comparable data during the period 2012 –2017,
the bottom 40 per cent of the population saw its incomes grow. Moreover, in slightly
more than half of those countries, the bottom 40 per cent experienced a growth rate
in income that was higher than the overall national average. Still, in all countries withdata, the bottom 40 per cent of the population received less than 25 per cent of theoverall income or consumption, while the top 10 per cent received at least 20 per centof the income.
96. Data from 31 countries over the period 2014–2019 show that one in five persons
reported having personally experienced discrimination on at least one ground of
discrimination prohibited by international human rights law. The pandemic risks
exacerbating those patterns.

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97. Of the 111 countries with available data as at September 2019, 54 per centreported having a wide range of policy measures to facilitate the orderly, safe, regularand responsible migration and mobility of people. Central and Southern Asia (80 percent) and Latin America and the Caribbean (79 per cent) reported having the highest
share of countries with such policies, compared with only 33 per cent of the countries
in Oceania and Northern Africa and Western Asia.
98. The proportion of products exported by least developed countries, developing
regions and small island developing States that could enter international markets freeof duty increased, from 66 to 67.4 per cent, 51.1 to 52.1 per ce nt and 65.4 to 66.5 per
cent, respectively, from 2017 to 2018.
99. In 2018, total resource flows for development to developing countries from
Development Assistance Committee donors, multilateral agencies and other key
providers were $271 billion, of which $166 billion were ODA.

Goal 11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe,
resilient and sustainable
100. Rapid urbanization has resulted in a growing number of slum dwellers,inadequate and overburdened infrastructure and services and worsening air pollution.
The pandemic will hit the hardest the more than 1 billion slum dwellers worldwide,
who suffer from a lack of adequate housing, no running water at home, shared toilets,
few or no waste management systems, overcrowded public transpo rt and limitedaccess to formal health-care facilities. Many in that population work in the informal
sector and are at high risk of losing their livelihood as cities shut down. Urgent
response plans are needed to prepare for and respond to outbreaks in inf ormal
settlements and slums.
101. The number of slum dwellers reached more than 1 billion in 2018, which
represents 24 per cent of the urban population, up slightly from 23 per cent in 2014.
The number of people living in urban slums is highest in Eastern and South-Eastern
Asia (370 million), sub-Saharan Africa (238 million) and Central and Southern Asia
(226 million).
102. Access to adequate, reliable and safe public transport is a basic urban need. As
shown in data collected in 2019 from a sample of 610 cities in 95 countries, only halfof the world’s urban population had convenient access to public transport, defined asliving within 500 metres’ walking distance from a low-capacity transport system(such as a bus stop) and within 1,000 metres of a high-capacity transport system (suchas a railway or a ferry terminal).
103. Data collected in 2019 from a sample of 755 cities in 95 countries show that, inthe period 1990–2015, most urban areas recorded a general increase in the extent ofbuilt-up area (defined as the presence of buildings) per person. On average, all regions
except sub-Saharan Africa and Eastern and South-Eastern Asia recorded a consistentincrease in the built-up area per capita, with Australia and New Zealand recording thehighest values.
104. Based on 2019 data from 610 cities in 95 countries, the share of land allocatedto streets and open spaces, which is critical to cities’ productivity and the social andhealth dimensions of their populations, averaged only about 16 per cent globally. Of
those, streets accounted for about three times as much urban land as open public
spaces, such as parks and riverfronts. The share of the population that could obtain
access to open public spaces within 400 metres’ walking distance along a street
network averaged 46.7 per cent.

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Goal 12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
105. Worldwide consumption and production, a driving force of the global economy,
rely on the use of the natural environment and resources in a model that continues tolead to destructive impacts on the planet. The pandemic offers countries anopportunity to build a recovery plan that will reverse current trends and change
consumption and production patterns towards a sustainable future.
106. As at 2019, 79 countries and the European Union reported on at least one
national policy instrument that contributed to sustainable consumption andproduction in their efforts towards the implementation of the 10 -Year Frameworkof Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production Patterns.
107. Global domestic material consumption per capita rose by 7 per cent, from 10.8
metric tons per capita in 2010 to 11.7 metric tons in 2017, with increases in all
regions except Northern America and Africa. However, domestic material
consumption per capita in Europe and Northern America is still 40 per cent higher
than the global average, indicating the need to enhance resource efficiency andpractices to reduce consumption in the future.
108. The global material footprint rose, from 73.2 billion metric tons in 2010 to 8 5.9billion metric tons in 2017, a 17.4 per cent increase since 2010 and a 66.5 per centincrease from 2000. The world’s reliance on natural resources continued to accelerate
in the past two decades.
109. The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer has been
universally ratified by 198 parties, and, as a result of its implementation, the overall
abundance of ozone-depleting substances in the atmosphere has decreased over the
past two decades, with projections to return to 1980 values in the 2030s for northernhemisphere mid-latitude ozone.
110. From 2010 to 2019, global e-waste generation grew continuously, from 5.3 kg per
capita to 7.3 kg per capita, while the environmentally sound recycling of e -waste
increased at a slower pace, from 0.8 kg per capita to 1.3 kg per capita.
111. Global fossil fuel subsidies amounted to more than $400 billion in 2018. The
continued prevalence of such subsidies, more than double the estimated subsidies forrenewables, adversely affects the task of achieving an early peak in global carbon
dioxide emissions.

Goal 13. Take urgent action to combat climate change andits impacts
112. The year 2019 was the second warmest on record and the end of the warmest
decade, 2010 to 2019. In addition, with a global average temperature of 1.1°C above
estimated pre-industrial levels, the global community is far off track to meet either
the 1.5 or 2°C targets called for in the Paris Agreement. Although greenhouse gas
emissions are projected to drop by 6 per cent in 2020, and air quality has improved
as a result of travel bans and the economic slowdown resulting from the pandemic,
the improvement is only temporary. Governments and businesses should utilize thelessons learned to accelerate the transitions needed to achieve the Paris Agreement,
redefine the relationship with the environment and make systemic shifts andtransformational changes to lower greenhouse gas emissions and climate -resilient
economies and societies.
113. A total of 85 countries have reported having a national disaster risk reduction
strategy aligned with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015 –2030
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to some extent since its adoption in 2015. In 2018, 55 countries reported that at least
some of their local governments had a local disaster risk reduction strategy aimed atcontributing to sustainable development and strengthening socioeconomic health andenvironmental resilience by focusing on poverty eradication, urban resilience andclimate change adaptation.
114. As at 31 March 2020, 186 parties (185 countries plus the European Union) had
communicated their first nationally determined contribution , and several parties had
communicated their second or updated nationally determined contribution to theUnited Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Parties have beenrequested to update existing nationally determined contributions or communicate newones by 2020, providing a valuable opportunity for parties to increase their level ofambition in climate action.
115. In 2019, at least 120 of 153 developing countries had undertaken activities toformulate and implement national adaptation plans, an increase of 29 countries,
compared with 2018. The plans will help countries achieve the global goal on
adaptation under the Paris Agreement.
116. With regard to global climate finance, there was an increase of $584 billion, or
17 per cent, from 2013 to 2014 and of $681 billion from 2015 to 2016. High levels of
new private investment in renewable energy account for the spurt in growth andrepresent the largest segment of the global total. While these financial flows are
considerable, they are relatively small in relation to the scale of annual investment
needed for a low-carbon, climate-resilient transition. Moreover, investments inclimate activities tracked across sectors were still surpassed by those related to fossil
fuels in the energy sector alone ($781 billion in 2016).

Goal 14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine
resources for sustainable development
117. Oceans and fisheries continued to support the global population’s economic,
social and environmental needs while suffering unsustainable depletion,
environmental deterioration and carbon dioxide saturation and acidification. Current
efforts to protect key marine environments and small-scale fishers and invest in ocean
science are not yet meeting the urgent need to protect this vast, fragile resource.
118. The ocean absorbs around 23 per cent of the annual emissions of anthropogenic
carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, helping to alleviate the impacts of climate changeon the planet, however, resulting in a decreasing pH and acidification of the ocean. A
new ocean acidification data portal shows an increase in variability in pH and theacidity of the oceans by 10 to 30 per cent in the period 2015–2019.
119. The sustainability of global fishery resources continues to decline, though at a
reduced rate, with the proportion of fish stocks within biologically sustainable levels
at 65.8 per cent in 2017, down from 90 per cent in 1974 and 0.8 percentage point
lower than 2015 levels.
120. As at December 2019, more than 24 million km 2, or 17 per cent, of waters undernational jurisdiction (up to 200 nautical miles from shore) were covered by protectedareas, more than doubling in extent since 2010. Much of the coverage is concentratedin Oceania and Latin America and the Caribbean.
121. As at February 2020, the number of parties to the Agreement on Port State
Measures to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated
Fishing – the first binding international agreement that specifically targets illegal,
unreported and unregulated fishing – increased to 66 (including the European Union)

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from 58 in the previous year, and nearly 70 per cent of countries report ed scoring highon the implementation thereof.
122. The contribution of sustainable marine capture fisheries remained stable at the
global level, with regional variation, representing the largest contribution to the GDP
in Pacific small island developing States and least developed countries, averaging
1.55 and 1.15 per cent, respectively, in 2011 to 2017.

Goal 15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial
ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification,and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
123. Forest areas continued to decline, protected areas were not concentrated in areasof key biodiversity and species remained threatened with extinction. However, Efforts
were gaining traction and having positive effects that could help to reverse thoseoutcomes, such as increased progress towards sustainable forest management; gains
in protected area coverage for terrestrial, freshwater and mountain areas; and progressin implementing programmes, legislation and accounting principles to protect
biodiversity and ecosystems.
124. The proportion of forest area fell, from 31.9 per cent of total land area in 2000
to 31.2 per cent in 2020, representing a net loss of nearly 100 million ha of the world’s
forests. From 2000 to 2020, forest area increased in Asia, Europe and Northern
America, while significantly decreasing in Latin America, sub -Saharan Africa andSouth-Eastern Asia, driven by land conversion to agriculture. Notwithstanding theoverall loss, 2017 data showed that the proportion of forests in protected areas andunder long-term management plans, as well as certified forest area, increased orremained stable at the global level and in most regions of the world.
125. In 2020, the average proportion of each key biodiversity area for terrestrial,
freshwater and mountain biodiversity within protected areas was 44, 41 and 41 per
cent, respectively, an increase of around 12 to 13 percentage points since 2000.
However, most key biodiversity areas still have incomplete or no coverage by
protected areas.
126. As at 2019, 123 countries had committed themselves to setting their voluntarytargets for achieving land degradation neutrality, and in 60 countries, governments
had already officially endorsed those targets.
127. Species extinction, which threatens sustainable development and compromises
global heritage, is driven primarily through habitat loss from unsustainableagriculture, harvest and trade; deforestation; and invasive alien species. Globally, thespecies extinction risk has worsened by about 10 per cent over the past three decades,with the Red List Index (which measures the risk of extinction, whereby a value of 1
indicates no threat of extinction and a value of 0 indicates that all species are e xtinct)
declining, from 0.82 in 1990 to 0.75 in 2015 to 0.73 in 2020.
128. As at 1 February 2020, 122 countries and the European Union had ratified
the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable
Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization to the Convention on Biological
Diversity (an increase of 53 from 2019), and 63 countries and the European
Union had shared information on their access and benefit-sharing frameworks.
Regarding the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food andAgriculture, there are now 146 contracting parties thereto, and 56 countries
have provided information about their access and benefit-sharing measures.

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129. Only about a third of reporting parties are on track to achieving their n ational
biodiversity targets as reported in national reports under the Convention on Biological
Diversity. As at January 2020, 129 parties, including the European Union, hadreported their sixth national report, and 113 parties had assessed progress toward s
their national targets related to Aichi Biodiversity Target 2. About half the parties had
made progress towards their targets, but not at a rate that will allow them to meet theirgoals.

Goal 16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable
development, provide access to justice for all and build effective,
accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
130. Conflict, insecurity, weak institutions and limited access to justice remain agreat threat to sustainable development. Millions of people have been deprived of
their security, human rights and access to justice. In 2018, the number of people
fleeing war, persecution and conflict exceeded 70 million, the highest level recordedby the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in nearly 70
years. The pandemic is potentially leading to an increase in social unrest and violence,
which would greatly undermine the world’s ability to meet the targets of Goal 16.
131. The global rate of homicide per 100,000 persons slo wly declined, from 6.8 to
5.9 to 5.8 per cent in 2000, 2015 and 2018, respectively, corresponding toapproximately 440,000 victims of homicide, 81 per cent of whom were men and 19
per cent of whom were women. Latin America and the Caribbean (33 per cent) a nd
sub-Saharan Africa (36 per cent) accounted for more than two thirds of homicide
victims globally.
132. Violent forms of discipline targeted towards children were widespread. In 69
countries (mostly low- and middle-income ones) with available data from 2012 to
2019, nearly 8 in 10 children 1 to 14 years of age were subjected to some form of
psychological aggression and/or physical punishment at home in the previous month.
133. Sexual violence is one of the most unsettling violations of children’s rights. In
slightly more than one in four countries with comparable data from 2012 to 2019 (45countries), at least 5 per cent of women between 18 and 29 years of age reported
experiencing sexual violence in childhood.
134. Data from 2016 to 2018 show that the proportion of prisoners held in detention
without being sentenced for a crime is 31 per cent, the same level as in 2005.
Significant increases over the past three years were recorded in Asia and Oceania.
135. Data from 38 countries over the past decade suggest that high-income countries
have the lowest prevalence of bribery (an average of 3.7 per cent), while lower income countries bear the heaviest bribery burden when accessing public services(22.3 per cent).
136. Through the implementation of birth registration with proof of legal identity,
children’s rights can be protected and universal access to justice and social services
can be enabled. However, based on data from 2010 to 2019, the births of around one
in four children under 5 years of age were never officially recorded. Fewer than half
(44 per cent) of all children in sub-Saharan Africa under 5 years of age had their births
registered.
137. In 2019, the United Nations tracked 357 killings (a decrease from 476 in 2018)and 30 enforced disappearances of human rights defenders, journalists and tradeunionists in 47 countries.

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138. The number of countries with binding laws and policies giving individuals aright to obtain access to information held by public authorities (the right toinformation) has continued to rise, reaching 127 in 2019. At least 43 countries haveadopted such guarantees in the past 10 years, 40 per cent of them in Africa.
139. In 2019, 40 per cent of countries had a national human rights institution that had
successfully achieved compliance with the principles relating to the status of national
institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights (the Paris Principles).
Access to internationally recognized national human rights institutions, however,remains overdue in 78 countries, in particular in Eastern and South-Eastern Asia,
Latin America and the Caribbean, Oceania and sub-Saharan Africa.

Goal 17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize
the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development
140. Strengthening global partnerships and enhancing the means of implementing theGoals have remained a challenge owing to scarce financial resources, trade tensions,
technological obstacles and a lack of data. The pandemic is adding hardships to theimplementation of the Goals. As COVID-19 continues to spread, global financial
markets have experienced great losses and intense volatility, and more than$100 billion in capital has flowed out of emerging markets since the outbreak, thelargest outflow ever recorded. World trade is expected to plunge by between 13 and32 per cent in 2020. Strengthening multilateralism and global partnerships is more
important than ever before. The global nature of the pandemic requires theparticipation of all governments, the private sector, civil society organizations andpeople throughout the world.
Finance141. Net ODA flows totalled $147 billion in 2019, nearly the same level as in 2018,
but with an increased share going to the neediest countries. Bilateral ODA to lea stdeveloped countries rose by 3 per cent in real terms since 2018, with aid to Africa
rising by 1 per cent, but humanitarian aid fell by 3 per cent.
142. Global foreign direct investment (FDI) flows continued to slide, falling by 13
per cent, from a revised $1.5 trillion in 2017 to $1.3 trillion in 2018. The decline, thethird consecutive annual decrease in FDI, was mainly a result of large repatriationsof accumulated foreign earnings by multinational enterprises following tax reforms
introduced at the end of 2017. It is projected that the pandemic may cause global FDI
to shrink by 30 to 40 per cent in the period 2020–2022.
143. Remittance flows to lower-middle-income countries are estimated to have reached$554 billion in 2019, exceeding official aid by a factor of three since the mid-1990s. In
2019, remittances overtook FDI flows to lower-middle-income countries, according toestimates. However, growth in remittance flows slowed to 4.7 per cent in 2019,
compared with a robust 8.6 per cent in 2018. Global remittances are projected to fall to$445 billion, or by 20 per cent, in 2020 owing to the pandemic.
144. Globally, government revenue accounted for approximately 30 per cent of GDP
in 2018, remaining stable compared with previous years, but with wide vari ation
among countries. The average overall tax burden (revenue in the form of taxes) was
25 per cent of GDP among advanced economies and 17 per cent of GDP among
emerging markets and developing economies. The overall average of the proportionof government expenditure funded by taxes was about 65 per cent among advanced
economies and 60 per cent among emerging market economies.

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Information and communications technology
145. More than half of the world’s population is now online. At the end of 2019, 53.6
per cent of individuals, or 4.1 billion persons, were using the Internet, ranging fromonly 20 per cent in Oceania (excluding Australia and New Zealand) and 26 per centin sub-Saharan African to 84 per cent in Europe and Northern America and 87 percent in Australia and New Zealand.
146. Fixed broadband subscriptions are increasing continuously. Globally, there were
nearly 15 fixed broadband subscriptions for every 100 inhabitants in 2019, ranging
from 33.6 in developed countries to only 11.2 in developing countries. In least
developed countries, owing to the high cost and lack of infrastructure, there were
nearly no fixed broadband connections. From a health, economic and social
perspective, this digital divide is costing developing countries and their peo plesdearly during the pandemic.
Capacity-building
147. Total ODA for capacity-building and national planning stood at $33.5 billion in2017, representing 14 per cent of total sector allocable aid, stable since 2010. The
main sectors assisted were public administration, energy and finance, which received
a total of $13.0 billion.
Trade148. Trade-weighted tariffs worldwide declined, from 2.2 per cent in 2017 to an
average of 2.1 per cent in 2018.
149. The share of exports of least developed countries in global merchandise traderemained marginal, at just over 1 per cent in 2018. Growth in global exports of least
developed countries stagnated over the past decade, missing the target of doubling
the share of global exports of least developed countries by 2020 from 2011. In 2018,least developed countries recorded significant year-on-year growth in services
exports, reaching a global share of 0.8 per cent. The share of global services exports
of developing regions has flattened in past years, amo unting to a share of 30 per centat the end of 2018.
Data, monitoring and accountability
150. In 2019, 132 countries reported having national statistical legislation that wascompliant with the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics, up from 111
countries in 2018.
151. In 2019, 141 countries reported having implemented a national statistical plan,up from 129 countries in 2018. Although it had the second highest number ofcountries (36) implementing national statistical plans, sub-Saharan Africa had thelowest percentage of fully funded plans, with only 25 per cent of plans fully funded,compared with 95 per cent in Northern America and Europe.
152. In 2017, countries received $689 million in support from multilateral andbilateral donors for all areas of statistics, up from $623 million in 2016. However,that amount accounted for only 0.34 per cent of total ODA. International funding fordata and statistics was at only around half the level at which it needed to be.
153. In the period 2014–2018, 147 countries had birth registration data that were atleast 90 per cent complete, and 153 countries had death registration data that were atleast 75 per cent complete. In sub-Saharan Africa, 28 of 53 countries had birth
registration data, and only 23 of 53 countries had death registration data.

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