Measuring distance to the SDG targets 2019 : an assessment of where OECD countries stand

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set a broad and ambitious programme for the world to achieve by 2030. With 17 Goals, underpinned by 169 Targets, the complex and integrated nature of the 2030 Agenda presents national governments with huge challenges for implementation. To assist countries, the OECD has developed a unique methodology allowing comparison of progress across SDG goals and targets. Based on the UN Global List of 244 indicators, this study evaluates the distance that OECD countries need to travel to meet SDG targets for which data is currently available. This 2019 edition of the study presents the latest results for OECD countries, both on average and individually, as well as new exploratory approaches to assessing progress over time and transboundary aspects of the SDGs. By providing a high-level overview of countries' strengths and weaknesses in performance across the SDGs, this study aims to support member countries in navigating the SDGs and in setting their own priorities for action within the broad 2030 Agenda Foreword 5 Acknowledgments 7 Reader’s guide 15 Executive summary 17 Chapter 1. How far are OECD countries from achieving the SDG targets? 19 1.1. Introduction 20 1.2. This Study’s contribution to global SDG monitoring 21 1.2.1. The global framework for SDG follow-up and review 22 1.2.2. The purpose and approach of this Study 24 Identifying suitable data sources 24 Setting target levels 25 Measuring distance 25 Innovations in this edition and future plans 28 1.2.3. Countries’ use of this Study so far 28 Developing national monitoring systems 28 Targeted country support for mainstreaming the 2030 Agenda 29 1.3. How far are OECD countries from the SDG targets? Key findings 29 1.3.1. How many indicators of the UN Global Indicator List can be measured for OECD countries? 29 1.3.2. What distance will OECD countries have to travel to achieve the SDGs? 30 1.3.3. Trends: Are OECD countries heading in the right direction? 35 1.3.4. Monitoring the transboundary aspects of the 2030 Agenda 38 Notes 43 References 44 Annex 1.A. Short metadata for indicators used in the Measuring Distance to the SDG Targets Study 47 Chapter 2. Measuring distance to the SDG targets at the country level 57 Measuring distance to the SDG targets – Australia 58 Measuring distance to the SDG targets – Austria 60 Measuring distance to the SDG targets – Belgium 62 Measuring distance to the SDG targets – Canada 64 Measuring distance to the SDG targets – Chile 66 Measuring distance to the SDG targets – The Czech Republic 68 Measuring distance to the SDG targets – Denmark 70 Measuring distance to the SDG targets – Estonia 72 Measuring distance to the SDG targets – Finland 74 Measuring distance to the SDG targets – France 76 Measuring distance to the SDG targets – Germany 78 Measuring distance to the SDG targets – Greece 80 Measuring distance to the SDG targets – Hungary 82 Measuring distance to the SDG targets – Iceland 84 Measuring distance to the SDG targets – Ireland 86 Measuring distance to the SDG targets – Israel 88 Measuring distance to the SDG targets – Italy 90 Measuring distance to the SDG targets – Japan 92 Measuring distance to the SDG targets – Korea 94 Measuring distance to the SDG targets – Latvia 96 Measuring distance to the SDG targets – Lithuania 98 Measuring distance to the SDG targets – Luxembourg 100 Measuring distance to the SDG targets – Mexico 102 Measuring distance to the SDG targets – The Netherlands 104 Measuring distance to the SDG targets – New Zealand 106 Measuring distance to the SDG targets – Norway 108 Measuring distance to the SDG targets – Poland 110 Measuring distance to the SDG targets – Portugal 112 Measuring distance to the SDG targets – The Slovak Republic 114 Measuring distance to the SDG targets – Slovenia 116 Measuring distance to the SDG targets – Spain 118 Measuring distance to the SDG targets – Sweden 120 Measuring distance to the SDG targets – Switzerland 122 Measuring distance to the SDG targets – Turkey 124 Measuring distance to the SDG targets – The United Kingdom 126 Chapter 3. The methodology behind measuring distance to the SDG targets 129 3.1. Methodology for measuring distance to the SDG targets 130 3.2. Identifying suitable data sources to measure performance on SDG targets 130 3.2.1. How closely correlated are the indicators used in this Study sourced from OECD databases with those in the UN Global Database? 132 3.2.2. Missing data: How do missing indicators and incomplete coverage affect results? 133 3.3. Setting target levels 134 3.4. The normalisation procedure 136 3.4.1. Distribution of OECD countries’ distances from targets 138 3.5. Measuring trends 139 3.6. Measuring OECD countries’ performances on SDG transboundary targets 141 Notes 142 References 143