Indicators on Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies

The 2025 SDG 16 Report highlights both progress and persistent challenges in advancing peace, justice, and inclusion, the foundations of sustainable development.

Key Findings

• Peace & Security: Global homicide rates have declined slightly since 2015, but conflict-related deaths surged in 2024, with one civilian life lost every 12 minutes. Journalists and human rights defenders remain at high risk, with one killed or disappeared every 14 hours2025sdg16reportmedium.
• Justice: Over one-third of the global prison population remains in pre-trial detention. Many victims of violent assault do not report cases, and 1.4 billion people face unmet civil and administrative justice needs2025sdg16reportmedium.
• Inclusion: More than 500 million children under five have had their births registered in the past five years, yet 150 million remain “invisible.” Women remain underrepresented in parliaments, the judiciary, and public service, with progress toward gender parity slow and uneven (2025 SDG 16 Report Medium).
• Human Rights and Displacement: Discrimination affects 1 in 5 people globally, while forced displacement has risen sharply, with 123.2 million people displaced by the end of 2024 — up 50% since 20202025sdg16reportmedium.

Data and Governance

• Data gaps and weak institutional collaboration hinder the measurement of illicit financial flows, corruption, and access to justice.
• Encouragingly, 56% of countries now report on at least one SDG 16 target, up from 23% in 20192025sdg16reportmedium.

Recommendations

• Strengthen justice systems, anti-corruption measures, and human rights institutions.
• Accelerate birth registration and legal identity coverage, particularly in Africa.
• Enhance representation of women, youth, and developing countries in national and global governance.
• Invest in data systems and digital capacity to close evidence gaps.

Conclusion

The report underscores that peace cannot endure without justice, justice cannot thrive without inclusion, and none of these can be sustained without human rights2025sdg16reportmedium. Achieving SDG 16 is essential not only for its own sake but also for progress across all other Sustainable Development Goals.

To read the full report, click here