The Financing for Sustainable Development Report 2026: Implementing the Sevilla Commitment finds that development progress is imperiled by global fragmentation and a financing squeeze facing developing countries. Instead of progress promised in 2015, the world is rapidly moving backward. The FSDR 2026 shows how the Sevilla Commitment can be operationalized to reverse the current trends in financing for development, even in these most difficult circumstances. The implementation of the Sevilla Commitment represents the best hope to achieve the SDGs.

Young people are a vital driving force in all societies, contributing energy, innovation and creativity to national development and to the achievement of the Goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Yet, many continue to face significant barriers that limit young people’s ability to realise their full potential and to participate meaningfully in society.

World Population Highlights 2026: Youth provides sound, comparable and timely data on global youth population trends, including changes in size and geographical distribution and key dimensions of youth well-being. The report identifies priority actions to reduce disparities, promote sustainable livelihoods…

The World Youth Report on Youth Mental Health and Well-being examines how youth mental health and well-being are shaped by six social determinants, i.e. education, employment, family dynamics, poverty, technology, and societal attitudes. The Report highlights how inequalities in these areas create disparities in mental health outcomes, noting that stigma, discrimination, and unequal access to opportunities and care compound risks for young people. 

Drawing on extensive literature reviews, expert consultations, youth surveys, and real-life youth testimonies, the Report stresses cross-sectoral action, inclusive policies, and youth-led initiatives. Ultimately, it calls for…

Global economic output is forecast to grow by 2.7 per cent in 2026, slightly below the 2.8 per cent estimated for 2025 and well below the pre-pandemic average of 3.2 per cent.

During 2025, unexpected resilience to sharp increases in U.S. tariffs, supported by solid consumer spending and easing inflation, helped sustain growth. However, underlying weaknesses persist. Subdued investment and limited fiscal space are weighing on economic activity, raising the prospect that the world economy could settle into a persistently slower growth path than in the pre-pandemic era.

The report notes that a partial easing of trade tensions helped limit disruptions to international commerce…

The World Statistics Pocketbook 2025 edition (Series V, No. 49) is the forty-ninth in a series of annual compilations of key statistical indicators prepared by the United Nations Statistics Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs. Up to 50 indicators from more than 20 international statistical sources are presented in one-page profiles for 30 world geographical regions and over 200 countries or areas of the world.

The Pocketbook profiles are organised into 5 sections; general information, economic indicators, major trading partners, social indicators, and environmental and infrastructure indicators. This issue presents data for the economic, social, environmental…

The Statistical Yearbook provides in a single volume a comprehensive compilation of internationally available statistics on social and economic conditions and activities, at world, regional and national levels, for an appropriate historical period. It is prepared by the Statistics Division, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, of the United Nations Secretariat.

The World Public Sector Report 2025 focuses on the role of supreme audit institutions (SAIs) in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The main objectives of the Report are to: (i) provide a global picture of SAIs’ contribution to SDG implementation, follow-up and review in general and in specific SDG areas; and (ii) to examine how the positioning of SAIs in national accountability systems has evolved since 2016 due to the work of SAIs on SDGs. The report aims to present a comprehensive analysis of SAIs’ work related to the SDGs since 2016; analyze the impact of the prioritization of SDG audits on SAIs’ strategies, audit plans and methods of work; identify…

Demographic Yearbook 2024 is the 75th issue in a series published since 1948. Through the cooperation with the National Statistical Offices, official demographic statistics are compiled in the Yearbook, as available, for more than 230 countries and areas of the world up to the reference year 2024. This edition of the Yearbook contains chapters on the population size and distribution, the population of capital cities, fertility, foetal mortality, infant and maternal mortality, general mortality, nuptiality and divorce.

Urbanization is reshaping the global landscape of human life. Since 1950, the share of the world’s population living in urban areas has surged, and it is projected to continue rising through 2050. This report presents the highlights of the 2025 Revision of the World Urbanization Prospects and offers a concise yet powerful overview of this transformation, combining global and regional trends with country-level insights spanning the period from 1950 to 2050. At the heart of this edition is the Degree of Urbanization, a harmonized, spatially based approach that enables meaningful international comparisons, alongside results based on national definitions. The dataset includes the latest…

The UN DESA Annual Highlights report is a tool to communicate the contributions of the Department to the realization of internationally agreed development goals and shared social, economic, and environmental aspirations. It showcases the Department’s role in gauging trends, building capacities, and shaping solutions. UN DESA Highlights 2025 covers activities over the period of the 79th Session of the General Assembly (September 2024 – August 2025) and reflects the Department’s response to the set priorities and expressed needs of Member States. Seven (7) thematic chapters showcase how UN DESA put its expertise to the task of supporting Member State efforts to implement the 2030 Agenda…

Progress on the Sustainable Development Goals: The Gender Snapshot 2025 is the latest edition in an annual series produced by UN Women and the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. Covering all 17 Goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the report spotlights the latest data and evidence on gender equality, tracking trends and revealing progress and gaps.

The 2025 Gender Snapshot sounds the alarm: If current trends continue, the world will reach 2030 with 351 million women and girls still living in extreme poverty and the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 5 to achieve gender equality and…