Campaigns to remove reproductive rights from women will prevent their full participation in society and the economy. Without women’s freedom to choose how and when to have children, there cannot be gender equality
Good health and well-being
Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
Achieving SDG 3 requires far more than expanding hospitals and clinics. It depends on safe water and sanitation that prevent disease before it starts (SDG 6), the reduction of poverty that determines whether families can afford care and nutritious food (SDG 1), and the gender equality that determines whether women control decisions over their own bodies and pregnancies (SDG 5).
Most acutely, the goal is now threatened by funding pressures on several fronts at once. Decades of gains in maternal survival, HIV treatment and child health were built on a combination of domestic health financing, health-system capacity and sustained international investment — and international funding, in particular, is now retreating just as needs are rising. Reversing the decline in development assistance for health (SDG 17), alongside strengthening domestic financing and health systems, is fast becoming a decisive test of whether progress made since 2000 can be sustained through to 2030.
Current progress
Progress on SDG 3 is mixed, with substantial gains offset by signs that momentum is slowing just as funding retreats. The global maternal mortality ratio fell from 328 per 100,000 live births in 2000 to 197 in 2023, but progress remains far short of the 2030 target of 70, and roughly 260,000 women still died of pregnancy-related causes in 2023 — one every two minutes. Low-income countries recorded 346 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births against just 10 in high-income countries. Skilled birth attendance rose from 80 per cent in 2015 to 87 per cent in 2025, putting the world on track against the 90 per cent coverage benchmark used for 2030 — a benchmark tracked alongside target 3.1, rather than one of its own formal numerical targets.
Under-five mortality fell to 37.4 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2024, a 51 per cent decline since 2000, though 4.9 million children still died before their fifth birthday. On HIV, new infections have fallen 30 per cent and AIDS-related deaths 35 per cent since 2015, yet 1.3 million new infections in 2024 were little changed from the prior year, and more than 9 million people living with HIV remain without antiretroviral treatment — a figure that includes both those diagnosed but not yet on treatment and those never diagnosed.
Reproductive health indicators continue to improve, with modern contraceptive use reaching 886 million women and their partners in 2026, 78 million more than in 2015. Meanwhile, official development assistance for health has fallen back to 2015 levels, with further cuts projected. The full picture of official indicators is tracked by the UN Statistics Division in its annual SDG progress report.
Key events and resources
The primary annual flagship report tracking SDG 3 is the World Health Statistics report, published by WHO each May, which compiles official data across all health-related SDG indicators; the 2026 edition, released in May 2026, warned that the world is falling short of — and in places reversing — its health targets. On HIV specifically, UNAIDS publishes its Global AIDS Update each July, ahead of the International AIDS Conference, tracking new infections, treatment coverage and funding for the global HIV response.
The primary intergovernmental forum is the World Health Assembly (WHA), WHO’s supreme decision-making body, which meets each May in Geneva. The Seventy-ninth World Health Assembly (WHA79) took place 18–23 May 2026; the Eightieth session is expected in May 2027. SDG 3 progress is also reviewed annually at the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) each July in New York.
Key multilateral bodies
These organisations hold the lead mandates on global health governance, HIV, reproductive and child health, and health financing under SDG 3.
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WHO leads global health governance and hosts the World Health Assembly. -
UNAIDS coordinates the global response to HIV and AIDS. -
UNFPA leads on reproductive and maternal health. -
UNICEF tracks child survival and immunization coverage. -
The World Bank finances health systems and tracks progress toward universal health coverage (target 3.8).
Targets
Indicators
Target
3.1
By 2030, reduce the global maternal mortality ratio to less than 70 per 100,000 live births
Indicators
3.1.1
Maternal mortality ratio
3.1.2
Proportion of births attended by skilled health personnel
Target
3.2
By 2030, end preventable deaths of newborns and children under 5 years of age, with all countries aiming to reduce neonatal mortality to at least as low as 12 per 1,000 live births and under-5 mortality to at least as low as 25 per 1,000 live births
Indicators
3.2.1
Under-5 mortality rate
3.2.2
Neonatal mortality rate
Target
3.3
By 2030, end the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and neglected tropical diseases and combat hepatitis, water-borne diseases and other communicable diseases
Indicators
3.3.1
Number of new HIV infections per 1,000 uninfected population, by sex, age and key populations
3.3.2
Tuberculosis incidence per 100,000 population
3.3.3
Malaria incidence per 1,000 population
3.3.4
Hepatitis B incidence per 100,000 population
3.3.5
Number of people requiring interventions against neglected tropical diseases
Target
3.4
By 2030, reduce by one third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through prevention and treatment and promote mental health and well-being
Indicators
3.4.1
Mortality rate attributed to cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes or chronic respiratory disease
3.4.2
Suicide mortality rate
Target
3.5
Strengthen the prevention and treatment of substance abuse, including narcotic drug abuse and harmful use of alcohol
Indicators
3.5.1
Coverage of treatment interventions (pharmacological, psychosocial and rehabilitation and aftercare services) for substance use disorders
3.5.2
Alcohol per capita consumption (aged 15 years and older) within a calendar year in litres of pure alcohol
Target
3.6
By 2020, halve the number of global deaths and injuries from road traffic accidents
Indicators
3.6.1
Death rate due to road traffic injuries
Target
3.7
By 2030, ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health-care services, including for family planning, information and education, and the integration of reproductive health into national strategies and programmes
Indicators
3.7.1
Proportion of women of reproductive age (aged 15–49 years) who have their need for family planning satisfied with modern methods
3.7.2
Adolescent birth rate (aged 10–14 years; aged 15–19 years) per 1,000 women in that age group
Target
3.8
Achieve universal health coverage, including financial risk protection, access to quality essential health-care services and access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all
Indicators
3.8.1
Coverage of essential health services
3.8.2
Proportion of population with large household expenditures on health as a share of total household expenditure or income
Target
3.9
By 2030, substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water and soil pollution and contamination
Indicators
3.9.1
Mortality rate attributed to household and ambient air pollution
3.9.2
Mortality rate attributed to unsafe water, unsafe sanitation and lack of hygiene (exposure to unsafe Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for All (WASH) services)
3.9.3
Mortality rate attributed to unintentional poisoning
Target
3.a
Strengthen the implementation of the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in all countries, as appropriate
Indicators
3.a.1
Age-standardized prevalence of current tobacco use among persons aged 15 years and older
Target
3.b
Support the research and development of vaccines and medicines for the communicable and non-communicable diseases that primarily affect developing countries, provide access to affordable essential medicines and vaccines, in accordance with the Doha Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health, which affirms the right of developing countries to use to the full the provisions in the Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights regarding flexibilities to protect public health, and, in particular, provide access to medicines for all
Indicators
3.b.1
Proportion of the target population covered by all vaccines included in their national programme
3.b.2
Total net official development assistance to medical research and basic health sectors
3.b.3
Proportion of health facilities that have a core set of relevant essential medicines available and affordable on a sustainable basis
Target
3.c
Substantially increase health financing and the recruitment, development, training and retention of the health workforce in developing countries, especially in least developed countries and small island developing States
Indicators
3.c.1
Health worker density and distribution
Target
3.d
Strengthen the capacity of all countries, in particular developing countries, for early warning, risk reduction and management of national and global health risks
Indicators
3.d.1
International Health Regulations (IHR) capacity and health emergency preparedness
3.d.2
Percentage of bloodstream infections due to selected antimicrobial-resistant organisms
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A warmer world: are we ready?
Climate — Global
Even the most optimistic predictions show a significantly warmer planet by 2100. Rather than focusing on quick adaptive fixes, as many current plans do, countries must pursue climate-resilient development strategies that address the systemic nature of the climate crisis
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Towards a women-centered push for Agenda 2030
Gender — Global
If progress on empowering women and girls was already far too slow, COVID and the war in Ukraine have made entrenched gender inequalities even worse. We must urgently ramp up our support for women and girls across all spheres of development, or the SDGs are doomed to fail
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In the balance
Climate — Global
Humanity’s failure to learn and adapt from repeated crises does not bode well for the bold, transformational changes that must happen urgently if we’re to achieve the world promised by the SDGs. There will be no second chance
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Reversing the destructive forces of inequality
Economic development — Global
COVID has exacerbated already deep inequalities between rich and poor.
If left unchecked, the forces creating inequality will become even more
destructive as the climate crisis starts to bite, threatening all of Agenda 2030. The world must urgently redouble efforts to reverse these trends -
What COVID-19 teaches us about public health
Pandemic recovery — Global
The pandemic was the ultimate stress-test for the global health system, revealing both flaws and capabilities. We must build this new knowledge into health systems if we’re to achieve good health and well-being for all
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Cleaning up the air
Climate — Global
Air pollution is killing an estimated seven million people per year, causing environmental damage and climate change. Taking bold action now on black carbon, methane, and other short-lived pollutants, using existing, affordable technologies, can help us achieve 1.5°C and improve well-being for all
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Funding those with the greatest need
Financing — Global, Sub-Saharan Africa
Global development finance has been thrown into disarray – first by the pandemic and now the war in Ukraine. Ramping up finance flows to LDCs in the short term might appear unrealistic, but it is more essential than ever if we’re to avoid even greater catastrophes ahead
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A G20 for the global good
Global governance
Recent years have seen the G20 become more factional, with countries competing for national advantage. Indonesia, holder of the G20 presidency for 2022, intends to rally the member countries to deliver a unified, coordinated response to global challenges: a G20 for the SDGs
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The experience of COVID has fundamentally changed our understanding of country risks. These lessons need to shape and drive COP26
