- 1 Develop quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure to support economic development.
- 2 Promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and significantly raise industry's share of employment.
- 3 Increase the access of small-scale industrial and other enterprises to financial services.
- 4 Upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable, with increased resource-use efficiency.
- 5 Enhance scientific research, upgrade technological capabilities of industrial sectors.
Digital infrastructure and innovation have expanded faster than almost any other area covered by the SDGs — connecting billions of people who previously had no access. But a massive physical and investment divide between the Global North and South persists, and the technology revolution is widening some gaps even as it closes others.
What We've Accomplished
- Global internet access grew from 16% in 2005 to 66% in 2023, connecting an additional 3 billion people.
- Mobile money services like M-Pesa revolutionised financial access for tens of millions across Africa.
- Global R&D spending grew from $1.1 trillion in 2000 to $2.4 trillion in 2021.
- Many developing countries leapfrogged fixed-line infrastructure by deploying 4G and 5G networks directly.
- South Korea became the world's first country to deploy a nationwide 5G network in 2019.
2030 Outlook
A $15 trillion infrastructure investment gap persists in developing countries. Manufacturing value-added in least developed countries has barely grown as a share of GDP. While digital connectivity expands rapidly, the quality of physical infrastructure — roads, ports, power grids — remains severely inadequate across much of Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Only 1 in 4 people in sub-Saharan Africa has a reliable internet connection.