In its Asia and the Pacific SDG Progress Report 2026, ESCAP said the region is on track to fall short on 103 of 117 measurable targets under the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Adopted by world leaders in 2015, the 17 SDGs aim to end extreme poverty and hunger, expand access to clean water and sanitation, ensure quality education and tackle climate change by the end of the decade.
ESCAP described the findings as a “stark contradiction”: while millions have been lifted out of poverty and access to electricity has expanded rapidly, environmental pressures are intensifying and inequality remains entrenched.
Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, ESCAP’s Executive Secretary and a UN undersecretary-general, said the growth model that fuelled rapid industrialisation is now undermining the region’s future.
“The very engines of growth that once lifted millions out of poverty and fuelled rapid industrialization are now undermining our future,” she said, urging countries to pursue development that is “smarter, healthier and more just.”
The sharpest setbacks are in environmental goals. Progress on climate action, marine conservation and biodiversity is not only stalling but reversing, the report found.
Where Asia-Pacific is lagging behind
Greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, while the Red List Index shows accelerating species loss. Marine ecosystems are deteriorating, sustainable fisheries are shrinking and freshwater systems are under mounting stress.
Urban resilience is also weakening. Although many governments have adopted disaster risk reduction strategies, the human and economic toll of disasters is increasing, exposing a gap between planning and preparedness.
Health outcomes have improved, with sustained declines in maternal, neonatal and under-five mortality. Income poverty has fallen significantly over the past decades, and near-universal mobile network coverage has supported advances in industry and infrastructure.
However, inequality remains persistent. Labour income shares are declining, labour rights compliance is slipping and informal employment and weak youth job prospects continue to pose challenges. Education access has expanded, but minimum proficiency in reading and mathematics is deteriorating.
While 55% of SDG indicators in Asia-Pacific now have sufficient data for assessment — above the global average — gaps in gender equality and governance data limit policymakers’ ability to track progress among vulnerable groups.
With five years remaining to the 2030 deadline, ESCAP said incremental change will not be enough: “Our current development trajectory is unsustainable, and the window for corrective action is closing rapidly.”
