From a target to a measure
Goals express broad development objectives; indicators specify observations associated with particular targets. Examples include social-protection coverage, coverage of essential health services, renewable energy’s share of total final energy consumption, and R&D expenditure relative to GDP. These distinguish access, the composition of energy use and research resources. The framework also calls for relevant disaggregation by characteristics such as income, sex, age, disability and location.
An international statistical process
The Inter-Agency and Expert Group on SDG Indicators developed the framework, which the Statistical Commission agreed in March 2017. The General Assembly adopted it on 6 July 2017 in A/RES/71/313. The process also provides for national and regional indicators that complement the global framework. The resulting system combines international comparability with additional measures suited to different contexts.
Reviews and annual refinements
The maintained page records comprehensive reviews in 2020 and 2025 and subsequent annual refinements, including those agreed in March 2026. Changes may replace, revise, add or remove indicators. Some indicators also appear under more than one target, so the number of listed entries differs from the number of unique measures. Both the version and the counting method matter when describing the framework.
Metadata and available observations
The page provides PDF and spreadsheet lists in the UN languages, with routes to metadata, the global database and information on data collection. An agreed measure does not itself supply an observation for every country and year. National statistical capacity, coverage and methodological information determine which comparisons can be supported. The framework and a dataset therefore answer different questions.
Version: the current linked English file incorporates the 2026 refinements. The main page history includes 2026 even though a shorter download caption still ends at 2025. The goals and target wording retain the Agenda’s original text, including historical references to measurement conventions.
Original source: United Nations Statistics Division.
Related reading: Social and Economic Policy in Europe · Public Services and Social Development · Using the Sources.