UNIDO Launches the 2025 SDG 9 Progress Report
The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), as custodian agency for six industry-related indicators of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 9, has released the 2025 Edition of the SDG 9 Progress Report. This publication offers a comprehensive statistical snapshot of global industrial development with a focus on inclusive and sustainable industrialization.
Aligned with SDG 9, which calls for building resilient infrastructure, promoting inclusive and sustainable industrialization, and fostering innovation, this report delivers the latest manufacturing data and insights to support policymakers, researchers, and development partners worldwide.
What’s Inside the Report?
This report reviews the latest trends in all industry-related SDG 9 indicators, based on the most up-to-date data available. It also presents recent results of the SDG 9 Index and the SDG 9 Progress and Outlook assessments, tools developed by UNIDO to track progress towards SDG 9 targets, highlighting both achievements and gaps. The report then provides a regional analysis of SDG 9 performance across Africa, Asia and Oceania, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Northern America and Europe. Finally, the thematic chapter offers an in-depth examination of women in manufacturing, focusing on gender disparities and persistent data challenges.
Key Highlights from the 2025 Report
The 2025 SDG 9 Progress Report highlights that Manufacturing Value Added (MVA) per capita reached a record high of $1,936 (at constant 2015 prices), marking significant industrial output growth. However, this rise has not been matched by employment growth in manufacturing, raising concerns about the inclusiveness of industrial development. Moreover, women remain underrepresented in high-tech manufacturing and leadership positions, despite improvements in education and better gender outcomes among trade-engaged firms, with persistent gaps in pay and career advancement. Access to finance remains a challenge for small-scale manufacturing firms, with only one in three having access to credit or loans, particularly limited in many low- and middle-income countries. Technological upgrading has stalled, with only modest growth in medium- and high-tech industries, and Asia and Oceania uniquely experiencing a decline. On a positive note, CO₂ emissions intensity in manufacturing has steadily decreased since 2015, with Asia and Oceania showing the most progress, indicating a shift towards cleaner industrial practices.
Countdown to 2030: A Call to Action
With only five years left until the 2030 SDG deadline, accelerating industrial transformation is urgent. Key priorities include strengthening international cooperation and policy coordination, investing in infrastructure, digital transformation, and green technologies, promoting inclusive innovation ecosystems that empower women and vulnerable groups, and ensuring access to reliable, timely, and detailed industrial data. The 2025 SDG 9 Progress Report serves as a comprehensive resource for monitoring progress and supporting evidence-based policymaking to make industrial development sustainable, inclusive, and resilient.
