Countries can assess the data available to report on their indicators, map the data sources for each, and identify data gaps in order to get a full picture of how to report effectively on the SDGs. Such assessments can also help countries coordinate across data providers and identify where there may be multiple data sources that need to be reconciled.

A core tenet of the SDGs is the concept of ‘no one left behind’ — that sustainable development must help people regardless of gender, age, race, ethnicity, migratory status, income, disability, or geographic location. In order to make their data as useful as possible for targeted policy-making, countries may place additional emphasis on timeliness of data and disaggregation, where data is broken down into smaller subgroups for analysis.