2026 SDGs Report

Progress Towards Sustainable Development

More than a decade after the launch of the 2030 Agenda, and with only four years remaining until the deadline for its implementation, the issue of sustainability is set against a context that has changed profoundly from the one in which the Sustainable Development Goals were defined.

Recent years have confirmed that the transition towards environmental, social and economic sustainability cannot be regarded as a linear path, but must contend with the instability of the international context, the vulnerability of the economic framework to exogenous shocks, and persistent environmental criticalities and social divides.

Italy’s progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals was analysed with reference to the most recent year, (short-term evolution), on the basis of 243 statistical measures, and with reference to the last decade (long-term evolution), on the basis of 221 statistical measures.

Over the most recent year, half of the measures show an improvement (51%); more than one quarter are characterised by stability or stagnation; deteriorations concern 24% of the measures. Negative changes are more frequent in Goal 16 (Peace, justice and institutions), due to the worsening of female and youth representation in Parliament and the increase in prison density; in Goal 4 (Education), because of the deterioration in students’ competences and the contraction in the share of young graduates; and in Goal 1 (No poverty), due to the worsening of poverty and deprivation measures. By contrast, Goal 17 (Partnerships) records progress across all the measures considered. High shares of improvement are also observed in Goal 10 (Reduced inequalities), owing to the reduction of distributive inequalities, and Goal 2 (Zero hunger), thanks to the improvement of some measures of agricultural sustainability. Environmental measures show greater inertia: in Goal 15 (Life on land), more than three quarters of the measures remain stable; high levels of stability also affect Goal 6 (Water) and Goal 14 (Life below water)

Trends over the last decade provide a partially positive picture, while overall highlighting the need for acceleration: 53.8% of the measures are improving, 11.3% are worsening, while 34.8% show a trend that cannot be univocally determined. This large group of measures with an uncertain trajectory reflects the presence of discontinuous patterns, marked by alternating phases of improvement and deterioration, suggesting a limited capacity to consolidate progress over time. Positive trends are more evident in Goal 10 (Reduced inequalities), Goal 5 (Gender equality), Goal 9 (Industry, innovation and infrastructure) and Goal 7 (Energy). Goals 15 (Life on land) and 13 (Climate action) also show a high share of measures improving, but with elements of uncertainty or criticality: in Goal 13, a large component of non-determined trends weighs significantly, while Goal 15 also records the highest incidence of measures worsening. Negative signals are more frequent in Goal 12 (Responsible consumption and production), Goal 6 (Water) and Goal 11 (Sustainable cities).

Territorial Trends

The analysis of regional disparities with respect to the 17 SDGs, carried out on the basis of 146 statistical measures referring to the latest year available, defines the relative positioning of the regions in relation to the national average and identifies areas of excellence and critical issues at territorial level.

The reading of the results, structured according to the traditional “5Ps” taxonomy of the 2030 Agenda, highlights a complex geography. The People and Prosperity areas confirm the territorial dualism to the disadvantage of the South and Islands; conversely, the Planet, Peace and Partnership areas show a more nuanced polarization and, for many of the measures in the environmental area, relatively more favourable results for the South and Islands.

In the People area (Figure 6), Goal 1 (No poverty) shows the widest territorial variability: the regions of the North, with the exception of Liguria, stand above the national average, while critical issues emerge in the South and Islands, particularly in Campania and Calabria, with the exception of Molise and Basilicata. Goal 3 (Good health) shows a more balanced distribution. Goals 2 (Zero hunger) and 4 (Education) display moderate geographical polarisation, which is more nuanced in Goal 5 (Gender equality). In Goal 2, Valle d’Aosta/Vallée d’Aoste stands out positively; in Goal 4, Sicilia records a more pronounced lag. In the Planet area, Goals 14 (Life below water) and 15 (Life on land) show a more favourable pattern for the South and Islands than for the North across all measures, Goal 12 (Responsible consumption and production) displays limited variability. More marked differences emerge in Goals 6, 13 and 14, with specific critical issues related, among other things, to water and sewerage services in Sicilia (Goal 6), a higher incidence of population at risk of landslides in Valle d’Aosta/Vallée d’Aoste and Basilicata (Goal 13), and beached marine litter in Lazio (Goal 14).

In the Prosperity area, the North-South divide is confirmed: almost all Goals indicate more favourable conditions in the North and more pronounced fragilities in the South and Islands, with the sole exception of Goal 11 (Sustainable cities). The most significant gaps concern Goal 10 (Reduced inequalities), where Campania, Calabria and Sicilia show marked vulnerabilities in income and poverty risk, while the Autonomous Province of Bolzano/Bozen, Emilia-Romagna and Valle d’Aosta/Vallée d’Aoste show a risk of poverty significantly lower than the national average and lower inequalities in income distribution. In Goal 7 (Energy), the Autonomous Provinces of Bolzano/Bozen and Trento and Valle d’Aosta/Vallée d’Aoste stand out positively for a stronger orientation towards renewable energy; in Goal 8 (Work and economic growth), the most pronounced gaps concern Calabria and Sicilia, due to marked employment fragilities. In the Peace and Partnership area (Figure 9), Goal 16 (Peace, justice and institutions) shows regional values close to the national average, whereas Goal 17 (Partnerships) records more marked heterogeneity, with delays in the South and Islands, especially in Calabria, in the daily and advanced use of the Internet.

Comparison with Europe

The most recent assessments confirm that, in the international frame, the achievement of the SDGs is seriously at risk. In Europe, sustainability remains central to EU policies, within a framework that seeks to reconcile the ecological transition, competitiveness and security, in an attempt to counter the significant slowdown in progress towards the Goals of the 2030 Agenda, which risks to undermine the results achieved in many areas.

Italy’s positioning in relation to the EU27, both as a whole and with respect to the major European economies, Germany, Spain and France, was analysed on the basis of 82 indicators selected from Eurostat’s EU-SDG indicator set. In 2025, around half of the indicators (49.0%) place Italy in a disadvantaged position compared with the EU27 average; 34.0% indicate an advantage and 17.0% show a position close to the European average. Compared with 2015, a partial improvement can be observed: in 2015 the share of favourable indicators was 28%, while that of unfavourable indicators reached 54%.

The most favourable profile is observed in Goal 12 (Responsible consumption and production), where all the indicators place Italy in a better position than the EU27 average. Indicators with values better than the EU average also prevail in Goal 2 (Zero hunger), Goal 5 (Gender equality), Goal 7 (Energy) and Goal 16 (Peace, justice and institutions).

The most marked critical issues emerge instead in Goal 15 (Life on land), where all indicators place Italy in a worse position than the European average, and in Goal 8 (Work and economic growth), Goal 13 (Climate action), Goal 10 (Reduced inequalities), Goal 11 (Sustainable cities) and Goal 9 (Industry, innovation and infrastructure), where the share of critical indicators is particularly high.