The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2021 PDF

The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2021 Contents Foreword................................... 2 View from the pandemic..................... 3 Investing in data...............................

The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2021 Contents Foreword................................... 2 View from the pandemic..................... 3 Investing in data............................ 4 Overview................................... 8 Goal 1 No poverty................................. 26 Goal 2 Zero hunger................................ 28 Goal 3 Good health and well-being.................. 30 Goal 4 Quality education........................... 34 Goal 5 Gender equality............................. 36 Goal 6 Clean water and sanitation................... 38 Goal 7 Affordable and clean energy................. 40 Goal 8 Decent work and economic growth........... 42 Goal 9 Industry, innovation and infrastructure....... 44 Goal 10 Reduced inequalities........................ 46 Goal 11 Sustainable cities and communities........... 48 Goal 12 Responsible consumption and production..... 50 Goal 13 Climate action.............................. 52 Goal 14 Life below water............................ 54 Goal 15 Life on land................................. 56 Goal 16 Peace, justice and strong institutions......... 58 Goal 17 Partnership for the Goals.................... 60 Note to the reader........................... 62 Regional groupings.......................... 63 The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2021 Foreword The global community is at a critical moment in its pursuit of the Yet, with a surge in global solidarity and leadership from the highest Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). More than a year into the political level, countries can still deliver on the 2030 Agenda and global pandemic, millions of lives have been lost, the human and the 2015 Paris Agreement on Climate Change. A global vaccination economic toll has been unprecedented, and recovery efforts so far plan, designed and implemented by the countries that can produce have been uneven, inequitable and insufficiently geared towards vaccines today or will be able to do so if properly supported, is an achieving sustainable development. The current crisis is threatening urgent first step in that direction. decades of development gains, further delaying the urgent transition A recommitment by Governments, cities, businesses, and industries to greener, more inclusive economies, and throwing progress on the to ensure that the recovery reduces carbon emissions, conserves SDGs even further off track. natural resources, creates better jobs, advances gender equality Had the paradigm shift envisioned by the 2030 Agenda A forrecommitment andbytackles growing poverty governments, and cities, inequalities is businesses, a further and imperative. industries to ensure that Sustainable Development been fully embraced over the past six years, recovery reduces carbonAsemissions, this report shows, the availability of high-quality data is also conserves natural resources, creates better jobs, adva the world would have been better prepared to face this crisis – with critical, helping decision makers to understand where investments gender equality and tackles growing poverty and inequalities is a further imperative. As stronger health systems, expanded social protection coverage, the can have the greatest impact; but improved data collection will not report shows, the availability of high-quality data is also critical, helping decision-makers resilience that comes from more equal societies, and a healthier happen without increased data financing, from both international and understand where natural environment. Regrettably, the SDGs were already off track investments can have the greatest impact; but improved data collection domestic resources. even before COVID‑19 emerged. Progress had been not happen without increased data financing, from both international and domestic resour made in poverty The challenges are immense, but there are also reasons for hope. reduction, maternal and child health, access to electricity, and gender The COVID‑19 crisis demonstrated inspiring community resilience, equality, but not enough to achieve the Goals by 2030. InThe challenges other vital are immense but there are also reasons for hope. The COVID-19 highlighted the Herculean work by essential workers in myriad demonstrated inspiring areas, including reducing inequality, lowering carbon emissions and community resilience, highlighted the herculean work by essentia fields and facilitated the rapid expansion of social protection, the workers in myriad fields tackling hunger, progress had either stalled or reversed. and facilitated acceleration of digitalthe rapid expansion transformation of social protection, and unprecedented worldwide the acce of digital As the pandemic continues to unfold, The Sustainable transformation Development and unprecedented collaboration worldwide on the development collaboration of vaccines. A brighteron the isdevelopment future Goals Report 2021 outlines some significant impactsvaccines. in manyA brighter areas that future is possible. possible. We must useWethemust crisis use the crisis to transform ourto transform world, deliver onour theworld, de are already apparent. The global extreme poverty onrate the rose 2030forAgenda the and keep 2030 our promise Agenda to current and keep our promise and future to current andgenerations. future generations. first time in over 20 years, and 119 to 124 million people were pushed back into extreme poverty in 2020. There is a risk of a generational catastrophe regarding schooling, where an additional 101 million children have fallen below the minimum reading proficiency level, potentially wiping out two decades of education gains. Women have faced increased domestic violence, child marriage is projected to rise after a decline in recent years, and unpaid and underpaid care work is António Guterres increasingly and disproportionately falling on the shoulders of women and girls, impacting educational and income opportunities and health. António Guterres Notwithstanding the global economic slowdown, concentrations of Secretary-General of the United Nations major greenhouse gases continue to increase. With the global average temperature reaching about 1.2°C above pre-industrial levels, the climate crisis has well and truly arrived, and its impacts are being felt across the world. The pandemic has also brought immense financial challenges, especially for developing countries – with a significant rise in debt distress and dramatic decreases in foreign direct investment and trade. The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2021 2 View from the pandemic: stark realities, critical choices As we enter the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is together to develop life-saving vaccines and treatments in record abundantly clear that this is a crisis of monumental proportions, with time. The pandemic has sped up the digital transformation of catastrophic effects on people’s lives and livelihoods and on efforts to Governments and businesses, profoundly changing the ways in which realize the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Historically, we interact, learn and work. pandemics have served as catalysts for political, economic and Transformational changes are needed, and the SDGs provide social change, and that still holds true today. The year 2021 will be the road map. The crisis demonstrates the interdependency and decisive as to whether or not the world can make the transformations interlinkages among the various dimensions of sustainability – from needed to deliver on the promise to achieve the SDGs by 2030 – with health, well-being, and social and economic prosperity to climate and implications for us all. ecosystems. To address the vulnerabilities exposed by the pandemic, The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2021 uses the latest available Governments and the international community should make data and estimates to reveal the devastating impacts of the crisis on structural transformations and develop common solutions guided by the SDGs and point out areas that require urgent and coordinated the SDGs. These include significantly strengthening social protection action. The report was prepared by the United Nations Department systems and public services (including health systems, education, of Economic and Social Affairs in collaboration with more than water, sanitation and other basic services); increasing investments in 50 international agencies. science, technology and innovation; creating fiscal space in developing Years, or even decades, of progress have been halted or reversed. countries; taking a green-economy approach and investing in clean In 2020, the global extreme poverty rate rose for the first time in energy and industry; and transitioning to sustainable food systems. over 20 years. Hundreds of millions of people were pushed back Investing in data and information infrastructure is critical. The into extreme poverty and chronic hunger. The COVID-19 pandemic pandemic has taught us that weaknesses in data and information has interrupted one or more essential health services and poses systems present an added and enormous challenge to decision major health threats beyond the disease itself. It has wreaked havoc makers. A year into the pandemic, only about 60 countries had data worldwide on children’s learning and well-being, and women have on COVID-19 infection and death rates that could be disaggregated by suffered a disproportionate share of job losses and increased care age and sex and that were publicly accessible. These data deficiencies work at home. have serious consequences for people’s lives. Policies, programmes The pandemic has exposed and intensified inequalities within and and resources aimed at protecting people during this challenging among countries. The poorest and most vulnerable people have a time will inevitably fall short without the evidence to focus and hone greater risk of becoming infected by the virus, and bear the brunt of interventions. Investing in data and information systems is not money the economic fallout. The crisis has threatened the livelihoods of 1.6 wasted. Statistical offices around the world have embraced innovative billion workers in the informal economy. The collapse of international approaches and forged partnerships, improving the availability of data tourism disproportionally affects small island developing States. And for evidence-based decisions. Increased investments in national data vast inequities exist in vaccine distribution: as of 17 June 2021, around and statistical systems and the mobilization of additional international 68 vaccines were administered for every 100 people in Europe and and domestic resources will be imperative if we are to build back Northern America compared with fewer than 2 in sub-Saharan Africa. better from the crisis and accelerate implementation of the SDGs. The climate crisis, the biodiversity crisis and the pollution crisis Building back better requires effective multilateralism and the full persist, despite the pandemic. Concentrations of major greenhouse participation of all societies. This global crisis demands a shared gases continue to increase despite the temporary reduction in global response. In the face of the many challenges we face, a unified emissions in 2020 related to lockdowns and other COVID-19 response vision of coherent, coordinated and comprehensive responses measures. The world remains woefully off track in meeting the Paris from the multilateral system is more important than ever. Since the Agreement. Biodiversity is declining, and terrestrial ecosystems are pandemic affects everyone, everywhere, the implementation of being degraded at alarming rates. Around the world, 1 million plastic solutions requires action and participation from all sectors of society, drinking bottles are purchased every minute, and 5 trillion single-use including Governments at all levels, the private sector, academia, civil plastic bags are thrown away each year. society and individuals – youth and women, in particular. The COVID-19 pandemic serves as a mirror for the world. It reflects We are at a critical juncture in human history. The decisions we make deeply rooted problems in our societies: insufficient social protection, and actions we take today will have momentous consequences for weak public health systems and inadequate health coverage, structural future generations. Lessons learned from the pandemic will help us inequalities, environmental degradation and climate change. rise to current and future challenges. Let us seize the moment to make this a decade of action, transformation and restoration to achieve the Resilience, adaptability and innovation bring us optimism. In the face SDGs and make good on the Paris Climate Agreement. of tremendous challenges, many Governments, the private sector, academia and communities have demonstrated quick responses, remarkable creativity and new forms of collaboration. Between 1 February and 31 December 2020, Governments around the world announced more than 1,600 new social protection measures in Liu Zhenmin response to the crisis. Scientist across the globe have been working Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs 3 View from the pandemic Investing in data to save lives and build back better Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, policymakers and business on how COVID-19 is affecting the population through methods leaders have routinely had to make time-sensitive decisions, many of such as web-scraping Google mobility data and the introduction of which have life-or-death consequences. Yet even basic data to guide new surveys. Together with partners, the office set up a COVID-19 decision-making – on health, the society and the economy – are Infections Survey in a matter of days, which has since become an often lacking. The pandemic has brought to the forefront the critical indispensable source of data on the pandemic. As of June 2021, importance of such data. It has also accelerated the transformation interviewers had covered 2.4 million households and performed 4.6 of data and statistical systems and how the public perceives and uses million swab tests. The survey detected an uptick of new infections that information. As policy- and decision makers were pressuring and the prevalence of the so-called Delta variant. In mid-June, British data providers for more up-to-date and accurate information, national Prime Minister Boris Johnson delayed by a month his plans to lift the statistical offices (NSOs) and their partners stepped up to the last COVID-19 restrictions. The delay in reopening was intended to buy challenge. They forged new collaborations and leveraged alternative additional time for the health department to intensify its vaccination data solutions while increasing efforts to protect data privacy and programme, which was also informed by data showing that new confidentiality. infections were largely driven by those who were not fully vaccinated. As the pandemic continues to unfold, and the world moves further In Ghana, the Statistical Service responded successfully to the sudden off track in meeting the 2030 SDG deadline, timely and high-quality increase in data demand. When COVID-19 hit, “suddenly, the appetite data are more essential than ever. Indeed, data are being widely for numbers grew,” says Omar Seidu, the head of demographic recognized as strategic assets in building back better and accelerating statistics and SDG coordinator at the Ghana Statistical Service. In the implementation of the SDGs. What is needed now are new addition to the number of new COVID-19 cases, other important investments in data and information infrastructure, as well as human questions were raised, such as which regions were densely populated, capacity to get ahead of the crisis and trigger earlier responses, how many people lived in crowded situations, and which parts of the anticipate future needs and design the urgent actions needed to country had no water for handwashing. realize the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Ghana Statistical Service was able to guide policymakers on crisis response and service delivery by bringing together a wide Responding to an unprecedented demand for data range of data and disseminating them through a central COVID-19 Despite major disruptions to statistical operations, many NSOs have data hub, supported by a joint project on SDG monitoring with the adapted quickly. They have adopted new methods and tools to come United Nations and the Government of the United Kingdom (the up with data and have played a central role in Governments’ COVID- UNSD‑FCDO project). The Ghana Statistical Service also helped 19 responses. As of September 2020, 82 per cent of NSOs were monitor lockdown compliance through mobility data gathered in involved in data collection on COVID-19 and its impacts, some through partnership with a cell-phone carrier. The crisis expanded the role innovative methods such as online and telephone-based surveys, as of statisticians in the country. “In the past, our role was more or well as the use of administrative, credit card and scanner data. less limited to data collection,” says Mr. Seidu. “Ministers and other In the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Office decision makers now want us to have a seat at the table, not only for for National Statistics has responded to an urgent need for information COVID-19 task forces, but on development policy as a whole.” The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2021 4  Advancing progress on data for SDG monitoring and improving The most recent year available (weighted average by indicator), by Goal people’s lives 2019 Considerable progress has been made on the availability of 2018 internationally comparable data on the SDGs. The number of indicators included in the global SDG database increased from 115 in 2017 2016 to around 160 in 2019 and 211 in 2021. 2016 The advancements in data availability have had a direct impact on people’s lives. Sugarmaa Batjargal was born on a cold February day 2015 in Mongolia’s Alag-Erdene District. She was a healthy infant, thanks 2014 to the midwife who visited her mother during pregnancy and taught G1 G2 G3 G4 G5 G6 G7 G8 G9 G10 G11 G12 G13 G14 G15 G16 G17 her about proper nutrition and ways to care for a baby in harsh Note: The data in this chart are not comparable with those presented in The Sustainable weather conditions. These prenatal and neonatal services were put in Development Goals Report 2020 due to changes in the SDG indicator framework and the calculation method. The SDG indicators framework was comprehensively reviewed and place because of data that identified the region as high risk for child revised in 2020, resulting in 36 major changes to indicators in the form of replacements, revisions, additions and deletions. mortality. Between 1990 and 2019, the country’s neonatal mortality rate dropped significantly, from 30 to 8 deaths per 1,000 live births. Data timeliness has also been a challenge for SDG monitoring. For Only with the right data can Governments know which children are instance, the latest data point available for climate change indicators most at risk and how best to reach them. (Goal 13) is around 2015. The average of the latest available year for data on poverty (Goal 1) and education (Goal 4) is around 2016. Identifying data gaps to achieve the SDGs For every success story like Sugarmaa’s, there are many other stories Addressing the vulnerability of data and information infrastructure of deprivation and inequity – the children who are not reached simply COVID-19 has further exposed the vulnerability of national data and because there is no information about them. A lack of data severely information infrastructures. A seemingly straightforward question limits a country’s ability to reach children and their families – to such as “How many people have died from COVID-19?” cannot be ensure that they have the services, opportunities and choices answered in many countries due to the absence of a complete and they deserve to live life to the fullest. An average of 74 per cent of well-functioning civil registration system. Globally, only 62 per cent of child-related SDG indicators either have insufficient data or show countries had a death registration system that was at least 75 per cent insufficient progress to meet the global targets by 2030. complete in 2015–2019; the share in sub-Saharan African countries Despite improvements, big data gaps still exist in all areas of the was less than 20 per cent. SDGs in terms of geographic coverage, timeliness and the level During the pandemic, many countries also struggled with interruptions of disaggregation required. Intensified efforts need to be made in data collection caused by lockdown measures. Face-to-face survey to fill those gaps. An analysis of the indicators in the Global SDG interviews were often stopped and statistical services reduced. In Indicators Database reveals that, for 5 of the 17 Goals, fewer than places where data and information infrastructure did not permit the half of 193 countries or areas have internationally comparable data. use of alternative data collection tools (such as online or telephone- This lack of country-level data is particularly worrisome for Goal based surveys), data production was more severely affected. Countries 13 (climate action), where, on average, only about 1 in 6 countries with integrated and well-functioning household survey systems were have data available. Country-level data deficits are also significant in more resilient. In a compilation of national COVID-19 impact surveys areas related to sustainable cities and communities (Goal 11), peace, maintained by the Inter-Secretariat Working Group on Household justice and strong institutions (Goal 16), sustainable production and Surveys, only 43 per cent of around 180 countries used a recent consumption (Goal 12), and gender equality (Goal 5). What’s more, household survey as a sampling frame for telephone interviews; the lockdown measures implemented to control the spread of COVID-19 remaining countries lacked a usable sample frame. have hindered data collection efforts for much of 2020, widening gaps Important operations, such as population censuses, were seriously in the capacity of countries to report on many of the indicators. disrupted around the world. A survey of NSOs showed that about 42 per cent of countries have had to postpone censuses scheduled for 2020 or 2021 for at least one year. European countries, many of which Proportion of countries or areas with available data, by Goal (percentage) unt for typically use population registers rather than traditional censuses, 100 were less affected. Only 13 per cent of the European country censuses 80 were disrupted versus 60 per cent in Africa. 60 Proportion of countries that have postponed their censuses scheduled for 2020 or 2021 40 ge. Africa 60 20 Americas 56 Asia 40 le and 0 G1 G2 G3 G4 G5 G6 G7 G8 G9 G10 G11 G12 G13 G14 G15 G16 G17 Oceania 25 Note: The data in this chart are not comparable with those presented in The Sustainable Europe 13 Development Goals Report 2020 due to changes in the SDG indicator framework and the calculation method. The SDG indicators framework was comprehensively reviewed and World 42 revised in 2020, resulting in 36 major changes to indicators in the form of replacements, revisions, additions and deletions. 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 5 Investing in data to save lives and build back better Overall, countries with the necessary information technology (IT) Leveraging the power of collaboration and partnerships infrastructure and skill sets were more resilient, and their statistical To meet data demands in the face of inadequate data infrastructure, operations were less affected. In mid-2020, 20 per cent of NSOs partners at the national and international level have been working faced constraints in their ability to operate remotely due to inadequate together closely. For the 2019 population census in Kenya, the IT equipment or infrastructure. Three out of four countries in the National Bureau of Statistics partnered with the National Commission low- and middle-income group saw their production of monthly and on Human Rights to work with communities who have historically quarterly statistics negatively affected by the pandemic. In contrast, been left behind. As a result, for the first time, intersex persons, production of short-term statistics was completely unaffected in two persons with albinism, indigenous peoples and stateless populations thirds of responding countries in the high-income group, attributable were all counted in the census. This enabled the Government to tailor to their heavier reliance on administrative data sources and remote services, but it also demonstrated to members of these groups that data collection modes. This disparity highlights the need for smart they count. “I asked the enumerator to show me the ‘I’ mark [for investments to build the necessary infrastructure and the right skill intersex]. I saw it, and I got emotional,” recalls one census respondent, sets across national statistical systems to support remote work, the parent of an intersex child from Kajiado. “This is the beginning of a training, and data collection and storage. Such investments are vital if long journey, and it’s going in the right direction.” NSOs are to operate during times of crisis and to spur the innovation In New Zealand, data gathered through citizen input is helping make and transformation needed to fulfil data demands during the recovery life a little easier for the disabled. and to achieve the SDGs. Driving innovation to advance SDG implementation Citizens help drive social change through data COVID-19 has introduced wide-ranging disruptions to national statistical systems. At the same time, it has pushed countries into The level of disability parking abuses in New Zealand has trying new ways of doing things. The survey of NSOs, for example, remained high over the past 10 years. To address this issue, showed that 58 per cent of countries carried out telephone instead an app was developed that can be used by citizens to report of face-to-face interviews to monitor the impact of COVID-19. disability parking availability and misuse. The initiative was In May 2021, 58 per cent of NSOs surveyed indicated that their undertaken by CCS Disability Action, the country’s largest overall information and communication technology readiness has support and advocacy organization for people with all kinds significantly improved over the past six months. of disabilities, in partnership with Statistics New Zealand and Innovative methods such as the integration of geospatial information SaferMe. Crowdsourcing information, generated by citizens and household survey data are also being used to produce more through the app, is providing data on the availability and disaggregated and timely data. Colombia’s National Administrative accessibility of disability parking in parks and open spaces, and Department of Statistics is using satellite imagery and household will help reduce misuse. surveys to produce municipality-level data on multidimensional poverty. This exercise, supported by the Data for Now initiative, has At the international level, a technical advisory group of epidemiologists, provided new insights into decision-making to combat poverty. biostatisticians, demographers and national statisticians worked In addition, machine learning algorithms, when coupled with social tirelessly to help the World Health Organization and Member States science, can further understanding of public perceptions on issues obtain accurate estimates of deaths attributable to the pandemic. The such as discrimination. COVID-19 has prompted further innovative group was convened by the World Health Organization and the United data collection methods such as measuring social distancing Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. compliance with mobile phone data and uncovering disease transmission patterns using data from contact-tracing apps. Building statistical capacity in a more effective and sustainable way While encouraging, the emergence of innovation is not without The challenges of COVID-19 have prompted many statistical risk. Proper data governance that guards the privacy of individual agencies, at both international and national levels, to rethink their information needs to be put in place. Potential biases in data and training programmes. At least 75 per cent of all statistical capacity algorithms should also be checked to ensure that inequality is not development events in 2020 were conducted online, compared further exacerbated. with only about 5 per cent in 2019, according to the United Nations Statistics Division Global Calendar of Statistical Events, which includes information from major international agencies. Given its efficacy, remote training is probably here to stay, even if combined with in-person initiatives. A question remains as to what other strategies can make statistical capacity-building more effective and sustainable. A study of national statistical training programmes in 15 countries, led by the Global Network of Institutes for Statistical Training (GIST), showed that many countries have been proactive in identifying training needs and offering training opportunities for their staff. Among the lessons learned, one stands out: a key element in effective capacity-building is to set priorities by internal needs, rather than those driven by external partners. Areas that are in high demand but often overlooked by traditional statistical trainings include the The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2021 6 coordination of the national statistical system, user engagement, management and financing. Opening up SDG data to all users in Kyrgyzstan International partners can also help fill gaps by making training The SDG platform of Kyrgyzstan and other related outputs were materials easily accessible. Examples include the UN SDG:Learn developed in response to users’ requests. “Users need to be Statistics portal, coordinated by GIST, and the provision of platforms able to download, work and analyse the data on their own while to foster the exchange of experience among countries. we are collecting their feedback and, in turn, adapt our work to their needs,” says Nazira Kerimalieva, head of sustainable development and environmental statistics for the National Ways to build national statistical capacity Statistical Committee of Kyrgyzstan. “Whenever a statistics Many statistical offices are working proactively to ensure that user is requesting information, we make ourselves available, the training needs of their staff are met. The following examples whether it is a student, journalist or policymaker,” Kerimalieva are extracted from a GIST report called Sustainable Statistical explains. “We never say ‘no’, and we listen to our users’ needs!” Training Programs at National Statistical Offices: The platform provides information on progress towards the Ireland identified 13 key skills with five levels of knowledge SDGs and the availability of data and national SDG reports. It under each skill and linked them to the job descriptions of staff. is targeted to the general public through easy-to-understand A gap assessment is being carried out every year and training language and infographics and serves data experts through the programmes are being designed based on the level of needs. downloading of data in open formats. Morocco promoted the use of available e-learning courses. A total of 65 courses were identified by various providers and were paid for by the country’s NSO for all staff. This approach has been particularly valuable during the pandemic. Myanmar developed a training curriculum based on a gap assessment and encouraged development partners to deliver trainings that were in line with internal needs. Improving data and metadata access To support a rapid and effective response to a crisis, comprehensive and integrated data must be readily available, easy to find and able to be shared publicly, as appropriate. During the pandemic, many countries provided public dashboards with daily updates to monitor the spread of the disease. Some also provided greater access to utility data, such as the location of essential services, including supermarkets, pharmacies and petrol stations, as in the case of Mexico. Open national data platforms for the SDGs have been adopted by many countries, allowing them to better meet the needs of a wide range of users. The National Statistical Committee of Kyrgyzstan was one of the pioneers. Its SDG platform makes use of Open SDG, an open-source data platform solution developed in part by the Office for National Statistics of the United Kingdom and implemented with support from the UNSD-FCDO project on SDG monitoring. 7 Investing in data to save lives and build back better Overview End poverty in all its forms everywhere COVID-19 has led to the The first rise in extreme poverty global poverty rate is projected to be in a generation 7% in 2030 An additional 119–124 million people were pushed back into extreme poverty in 2020 missing the target of eradicating poverty As of April 2021, 118 countries reported national and/or local disaster risk reduction strategies, up from 45 in 2015 Governments worldwide have put in place 1,600 short-term social protection measures in response to COVID-19 but 4 billion people are still not covered by social protection The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2021 8  End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture The global pandemic Pandemic will worsen child malnutrition is exacerbating 22% (149.2 million) world hunger of children under 5 are stunted 6.7% (45.4 million) Worldwide, an additional of children under 5 70–161 million people suffer from wasting are likely to have experienced hunger 5.7% (38.9 million) of children under 5 as a result of the are overweight (2020*) pandemic in 2020 *THESE 2020 ESTIMATES DO NOT REFLECT IMPACT OF PANDEMIC Number of undernourished people in the world Almost one third of women of reproductive age 607 650 720–811 million million million globally suffer from anaemia, in part due to 2014 2019 2020 nutrition deficiencies 2.37 billion people are without food or unable to eat a healthy balanced diet on a regular basis (2020) 9 Overview  Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages The pandemic A decade of progress has halted or reversed progress in in health and shortened life expectancy reproductive maternal child health health health 90% of countries are still reporting one or more could be stalled or reversed disruptions to essential health services by COVID-19 A lack of data Health workers hinders understanding of the true impact of COVID-19 — in short supply in many regions — have been stretched to their limits by the pandemic Countries with Death Registration System at least 75% Complete 62% world