In September 2015, UN member states adopted a set of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all through a new development agenda. The SDGs, also known as the Global Goals or the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, address challenges that affect individuals, countries, and the world at large. The SDGs set out an ambitious agenda for countries around the world, and data is essential to help fulfill that agenda.

SDG reporting — the act of publishing and disseminating data and statistics on the SDG indicators for key stakeholders — can be a valuable tool to help countries achieve their goals. The reporting process provides an opportunity for each country to evaluate its progress and effectively adjust its development strategies, inform redistribution of resources, and engage stakeholders around specific goals. SDG reporting can also be a basis for identifying data gaps, improving access to official national and subnational data and statistics, and consolidating efforts to minimize national reporting burdens.

This section provides information and resources on the SDGs and the global indicators, the UN Data Revolution, and an overview of SDG reporting.