SDGs Report 2025: A Decade of Progress and a Call to Action.

In July 2025, the United Nations released its landmark Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Report 2025, a definitive global review of progress made since the 2015 launch of the 2030 Agenda. It marks the tenth annual stock‑take and offers a candid, data‑driven look at where we’ve made headway and where change is urgently needed.

Key Findings & Headlines

📊 Global Progress: Off Track, But Not Out

Only 35 % of the 137 SDG targets are currently on track or showing moderate progress.
A crushing 47 % are progressing too slowly, while 18 % have actually regressed compared to 2015 .

With just five years until the 2030 deadline, this underscores the urgent need for accelerated and informed action.

Lives Improved Yet Fragility Persists

Despite setbacks, the past decade brought real gains:

Extreme poverty has declined, and the number of people living in working poverty has fallen by 20 million since 2015 .
Social protection coverage expanded from 42.8 % to 52.4 % of the global population by 2023 .

Yet more than 700 million people still live in extreme poverty, with their futures threatened by shocks (pandemics, climate change, conflict) that risk reversal.

Hunger & Food Systems: Mixed Results

Improvements: reductions in child stunting and wasting, and small gains in dietary diversity among young children.

But alarmingly, over 750 million people remain chronically hungry and 2.3 billion face food insecurity .

Small‑scale farmers continue to earn far less than larger producers, despite a record $701 billion spent globally on agriculture in 2023 less than 2 % of total government expenditure.

Health, Education & Energy: Bright Spot

Under‑5 and maternal mortality rates have fallen globally, and the burden of infectious diseases like HIV and malaria has significantly decreased.
Access to electricity continues to grow, with renewable energy now the fastest‑rising source of power worldwide.
Access to education and digital services has improved, helping bridge digital divides and open career pathways .

Priority Areas for Transformation

The report calls for urgent action in six strategic areas:

1. Food systems to ensure resilient, sustainable, and equitable agriculture.

2. Energy access especially clean electricity and renewables.

3. Digital transformation promoting inclusion and bridging connectivity gaps.

4. Education ensuring quality learning for all.

5. Jobs & social protection expanding coverage and decent work opportunities.

6. Climate & biodiversity, protecting life on land and below water .

To deliver real impact in these domains, the report emphasizes stronger international cooperation, investment, and policy ambition.

🇳🇬Nigeria’s SDG Reality

To bring the global data home, let’s look at Nigeria, where SDG progress reflects both promise and pressing challenges:

Energy access: Around 50% of Nigeria’s population still lacks reliable grid electricity, a major barrier to SDG 7 on affordable energy .

Education & gender: Nigeria leads the world in the number of out‑of‑school children, estimated at over 10.5 million as of 2016, with girls especially affected. Enrollment rates showed only marginal improvement by 2015 (female primary ~48 %).

Healthcare & social protection: About 400 million Nigerians lack basic healthcare, and 40 % have no social safety net. Maternal mortality remains high, far from the SDG 3 target of below 70 per 100,000 live births .

Why it matters:

Nigeria’s case echoes global themes, energy deficits, educational exclusion, unequal access to social services. but also highlights key opportunities, such as digital learning solutions and solar‑mini‑grids bringing power to remote communities.

Looking Ahead: The Road to 2030

With only five years left until 2030, the SDG Report 2025 is a sobering call to step up ambition and scale proven strategies. But it also offers hope: the gains to date prove that real change is possible. Countries across regions have achieved universal electricity, eliminated tropical diseases, and expanded digital access. Now, global and local partners must accelerate progress in the six identified areas and ensure no one is left behind.

How You Can Help

1. Share your story

Know someone using renewable energy in rural Nigeria, or an NGO battling child malnutrition? Share their results in comments or on social media using #SDGs2025 #SDGNigeria.

2. Act locally, think globally

Support community projects that advance energy, water, or digital access. Invest in local female education or vocational training.

3. Advocate wisely

Leverage the six priority areas identified by the UN to guide community or governmental engagement, from food systems to climate resilience.

In summary, the SDG Report 2025 underscores that while billions have experienced improved health, education, energy access, and reduced poverty, global progress remains uneven and too slow. For Nigeria—and the world—to realize the 2030 vision, communities, governments, and influencers must act purposefully across food systems, energy, education, jobs, climate, and more.

For Further information on the Report:

United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD). (2025). The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2025. United Nations. https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/report/2025/

United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA). (n.d.). Sustainable Development Goals Indicators Database. United Nations. https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/indicators/database/

National Bureau of Statistics (Nigeria). (2021). Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) 2016–2021. National Bureau of Statistics. https://www.nigerianstat.gov.ng/https://www.nigerianstat.gov.ng/

Federal Government of Nigeria. (2020). Nigeria’s Voluntary National Review (VNR) 2020 on Sustainable Development Goal Progress. United Nations Sustainable Development. https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/memberstates/nigeria

World Bank. (n.d.). World Development Indicators. World Bank Databank. https://databank.worldbank.org/source/world-development-indicators

UNICEF Nigeria. (n.d.). Education and Child Protection. UNICEF. https://www.unicef.org/nigeria/

International Energy Agency (IEA). (2022). Africa Energy Outlook 2022. International Energy Agency. https://www.iea.org/reports/africa-energy-outlook-2022

Photo Credit: freepik

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