Canada in focus
Is Canada on track for the SDGs?
Canada ranks 28th of 169 countries with a score of 79.1, and has gained only 1.0 points since 2015. It is near the top of the world on Goal 1, Goal 3, Goal 5, but near the bottom on Goal 13 (climate action) and Goal 12 (responsible consumption and production).
- SDG Index score, 2026
- 79.1/ 100
- 28th of 169 countries
- Change since 2015
- +1.0points
- 6th of 7 in the G7; ranked 27th in 2015
- Goals improving
- 9 of 17
- No goal decreasing
- International spillovers score
- 68.4/ 100
- 139th of 169; higher means fewer harmful spillovers
Canada on all 17 goals
Canada’s goal scores against the G7 average, 2025
Score out of 100 on the globally comparable indicators.
- Canada
- G7 average
| Goal | Rating and trend |
|---|---|
| 1No poverty | Challenges remain, moderately improving |
| 2Zero hunger | Major, stagnating |
| 3Good health and well-being | Significant, moderately improving |
| 4Quality education | Challenges remain, stagnating |
| 5Gender equality | Significant, moderately improving |
| 6Clean water and sanitation | Significant, stagnating |
| 7Affordable and clean energy | Challenges remain, moderately improving |
| 8Decent work and economic growth | Challenges remain, moderately improving |
| 9Industry, innovation and infrastructure | Achieved, moderately improving |
| 10Reduced inequalities | Challenges remain, moderately improving |
| 11Sustainable cities and communities | Significant, stagnating |
| 12Responsible consumption and production | Major, stagnating |
| 13Climate action | Major, moderately improving |
| 14Life below water | Significant, moderately improving |
| 15Life on land | Major, stagnating |
| 16Peace, justice and strong institutions | Significant, stagnating |
| 17Partnerships for the goals | Major, stagnating |
Rank over time
SDG Index rank, 2015–2025
Position among all ranked countries (1 = best). Canada is the thick line. Rankings use the backdated index, so they can differ from earlier reports.
Every indicator
All indicators for Canada
Filter by rating or trend to find where Canada is doing well and where it is going backwards.
| Goal | Indicator | Value | Year | Green threshold | Rating and trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Poverty headcount ratio at $3.00/day (%) | 0.048 | 2026 | 2 | Achieved, on track or maintaining achievement |
| 1 | Poverty headcount ratio at $4.20/day (%) | 0.061 | 2026 | 2 | Achieved, on track or maintaining achievement |
| 1 | Poverty rate after taxes and transfers (%) | 12.2 | 2023 | 10 | Challenges remain, moderately improving |
| 2 | Prevalence of undernourishment (%) | 2.5 | 2023 | 7.5 | Achieved, on track or maintaining achievement |
| 2 | Prevalence of stunting in children under 5 years of age (%) | 2.58 | 2023 | 7.5 | Achieved |
| 2 | Prevalence of wasting in children under 5 years of age (%) | 0.7 | 2023 | 5 | Achieved |
| 2 | Minimum dietary diversity among children aged 6-23 months (%) | 90 | 2025 | 70 | Achieved |
| 2 | Prevalence of obesity, BMI ≥ 30 (% of adult population) | 26.2 | 2022 | 10 | Major, decreasing |
| 2 | Human Trophic Level (best 2-3 worst) | 2.4 | 2023 | 2.2 | Major, decreasing |
| 2 | Cereal yield (tonnes per hectare of harvested land) | 3.7 | 2023 | 2.5 | Achieved, on track or maintaining achievement |
| 2 | Progress towards productive and sustainable agriculture (worst 1-5 best) | 3.83 | 2024 | 4.5 | Challenges remain, stagnating |
| 2 | Yield gap closure (% of potential yield) | 64 | 2024 | 75 | Challenges remain |
| 2 | Exports of hazardous pesticides (tonnes per million population) | 2.58 | 2023 | 1 | Challenges remain |
| 3 | Maternal mortality ratio (per 100,000 live births) | 11.8 | 2023 | 70 | Achieved, stagnating |
| 3 | Neonatal mortality rate (per 1,000 live births) | 3.39 | 2024 | 12 | Achieved, on track or maintaining achievement |
| 3 | Mortality rate, under-5 (per 1,000 live births) | 5.43 | 2024 | 25 | Achieved, stagnating |
| 3 | Incidence of tuberculosis (per 100,000 population) | 6.2 | 2024 | 10 | Achieved, stagnating |
| 3 | New HIV infections (per 1,000 uninfected population, all ages) | 0 | 2022 | 0.2 | Achieved, on track or maintaining achievement |
| 3 | Age-standardized death rate due to cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, or chronic respiratory disease in adults aged 30 to 70 years (%) | 9.7 | 2021 | 15 | Achieved, on track or maintaining achievement |
| 3 | Age-standardized death rate due to air pollution (per 100,000 population) | 16.4 | 2023 | 30 | Achieved, on track or maintaining achievement |
| 3 | Traffic deaths (per 100,000 population) | 4.7 | 2021 | 8.5 | Achieved, on track or maintaining achievement |
| 3 | Life expectancy at birth (years) | 82.9 | 2025 | 80 | Achieved, on track or maintaining achievement |
| 3 | Adolescent fertility rate (births per 1,000 females aged 15 to 19) | 4.51 | 2022 | 25 | Achieved, on track or maintaining achievement |
| 3 | Births attended by skilled health personnel (%) | 97.8 | 2023 | 98 | Challenges remain, stagnating |
| 3 | Surviving infants who received 2 WHO-recommended vaccines (%) | 92 | 2024 | 90 | Achieved, on track or maintaining achievement |
| 3 | Universal health coverage (UHC) index of service coverage (worst 0-100 best) | 92 | 2023 | 80 | Achieved, on track or maintaining achievement |
| 3 | Subjective well-being (average ladder score, worst 0-10 best) | 6.74 | 2025 | 6 | Achieved, stagnating |
| 3 | Gap in life expectancy at birth among regions (years) | 10.8 | 2022 | 3 | Major, stagnating |
| 3 | Gap in self-reported health status by income (percentage points) | 13.2 | 2023 | 20 | Achieved, on track or maintaining achievement |
| 3 | Daily smokers (% of population aged 15 and over) | 8.7 | 2023 | 18 | Achieved, on track or maintaining achievement |
| 4 | Participation rate in pre-primary organized learning (% of children aged 4 to 6) | 93.3 | 2023 | 90 | Achieved |
| 4 | Net primary enrollment rate (%) | 95 | 2023 | 97 | Challenges remain, decreasing |
| 4 | Lower secondary completion rate (%) | 98.9 | 2016 | 90 | Achieved |
| 4 | Literacy rate (% of population aged 15 to 24) | 100 | 2024 | 95 | Achieved |
| 4 | Tertiary educational attainment (% of population aged 25 to 34) | 67 | 2022 | 40 | Achieved, on track or maintaining achievement |
| 4 | PISA score (worst 0-600 best) | 506 | 2022 | 490 | Achieved, stagnating |
| 4 | Variation in mathematics performance explained by socio-economic status (%) | 10.2 | 2022 | 10.5 | Achieved, stagnating |
| 4 | Underachievers in mathematics (% of 15-year-olds) | 21.6 | 2022 | 15 | Challenges remain, decreasing |
| 5 | Demand for family planning satisfied by modern methods (% of females aged 15 to 49) | 92.5 | 2025 | 80 | Achieved, on track or maintaining achievement |
| 5 | Ratio of female-to-male mean years of education received (%) | 101 | 2023 | 98 | Achieved, on track or maintaining achievement |
| 5 | Ratio of female-to-male labor force participation rate (%) | 87.3 | 2025 | 70 | Achieved, on track or maintaining achievement |
| 5 | Seats held by women in national parliament (%) | 30.3 | 2026 | 40 | Challenges remain, stagnating |
| 5 | Gender wage gap (% of male median wage) | 16.5 | 2024 | 8 | Significant, stagnating |
| 6 | Population using at least basic drinking water services (%) | 98.3 | 2024 | 98 | Achieved, stagnating |
| 6 | Population using at least basic sanitation services (%) | 98.6 | 2024 | 95 | Achieved, stagnating |
| 6 | Freshwater withdrawal (% of available freshwater resources) | 3.72 | 2023 | 25 | Achieved, on track or maintaining achievement |
| 6 | Anthropogenic wastewater that receives treatment (%) | 84 | 2017 | 50 | Achieved |
| 6 | Scarce water consumption embodied in imports (m³ H₂Oeq/capita) | 3,135 | 2024 | 800 | Major, stagnating |
| 6 | Population using safely managed water services (%) | 96.9 | 2024 | 95 | Achieved, stagnating |
| 6 | Population using safely managed sanitation services (%) | 81.3 | 2024 | 90 | Challenges remain, stagnating |
| 7 | Population with access to electricity (%) | 100 | 2023 | 98 | Achieved, on track or maintaining achievement |
| 7 | Population with access to clean fuels and technology for cooking (%) | 100 | 2023 | 85 | Achieved, on track or maintaining achievement |
| 7 | CO₂ emissions from fuel combustion per total electricity output (MtCO₂/TWh) | 0.872 | 2024 | 1 | Achieved, stagnating |
| 7 | Renewable energy share in total final energy consumption (%) | 24.2 | 2022 | 32 | Challenges remain, stagnating |
| 8 | Adjusted GDP growth index (worst 0-100 best) | 67.7 | 2024 | 75 | Challenges remain |
| 8 | Victims of modern slavery (per 1,000 population) | 1.83 | 2022 | 4 | Achieved |
| 8 | Adults with an account at a bank or other financial institution (% of population aged 15 or over) | 98.4 | 2024 | 80 | Achieved, stagnating |
| 8 | Unemployment rate (% of total labor force, ages 15+) | 7.29 | 2026 | 5 | Challenges remain, decreasing |
| 8 | Fundamental labor rights are effectively guaranteed (worst 0-1 best) | 0.753 | 2024 | 0.75 | Achieved, on track or maintaining achievement |
| 8 | Youth not in employment, education or training (NEET) (% of population aged 15 to 24) | 9.59 | 2022 | 10 | Achieved, on track or maintaining achievement |
| 9 | Rural population with access to all-season roads (%) | 99.5 | 2026 | 90 | Achieved, on track or maintaining achievement |
| 9 | Population using the internet (%) | 94.4 | 2024 | 80 | Achieved, on track or maintaining achievement |
| 9 | Mobile broadband subscriptions (per 100 population) | 86.9 | 2024 | 75 | Achieved, on track or maintaining achievement |
| 9 | Logistics Performance Index: Infrastructure Score (worst 1-5 best) | 4.3 | 2023 | 3 | Achieved, on track or maintaining achievement |
| 9 | Score of top 3 universities in Times Higher Education (worst 0-100 best) | 80.9 | 2026 | 30 | Achieved, on track or maintaining achievement |
| 9 | Articles published in academic journals (per 1,000 population) | 2.97 | 2024 | 0.7 | Achieved, on track or maintaining achievement |
| 9 | Expenditure on research and development (% of GDP) | 1.79 | 2024 | 1.5 | Achieved, on track or maintaining achievement |
| 9 | Total patent applications by applicant's origin (per million population) | 631 | 2024 | 300 | Achieved, on track or maintaining achievement |
| 9 | Researchers (per 1,000 employed population) | 11.3 | 2023 | 8 | Achieved, on track or maintaining achievement |
| 9 | Female share of graduates from STEM fields at the tertiary level (%) | 36.3 | 2023 | 30 | Achieved, on track or maintaining achievement |
| 9 | E-government: Online Services Index (worst 0-1 best) | 0.855 | 2024 | 0.8 | Achieved, stagnating |
| 10 | Gini coefficient | 31.1 | 2021 | 30 | Challenges remain, on track or maintaining achievement |
| 10 | Palma ratio | 1.12 | 2023 | 1 | Challenges remain, moderately improving |
| 10 | Elderly poverty rate (% of population aged 66 or over) | 10.1 | 2023 | 5 | Challenges remain, stagnating |
| 11 | Proportion of urban population living in slums (%) | 0 | 2022 | 5 | Achieved, on track or maintaining achievement |
| 11 | Annual mean concentration of PM2.5 (μg/m³) | 9.6 | 2023 | 10 | Achieved, stagnating |
| 11 | Access to improved water source, piped (% of urban population) | 98.3 | 2024 | 98 | Achieved, stagnating |
| 11 | Population with rent overburden (%) | 19.8 | 2019 | 10 | Significant, moderately improving |
| 11 | Urban population with access to points of interest within a 15min walk (%) | 83.1 | 2025 | 90 | Challenges remain |
| 11 | Population with convenient access to public transport in cities (%) | 83.5 | 2021 | 80 | Achieved |
| 12 | Electronic waste that is not recollected (kg/capita) | 17.6 | 2022 | 5 | Major |
| 12 | Production-based air pollution (DALYs per 1,000 population) | 3.25 | 2024 | 2 | Challenges remain, stagnating |
| 12 | Air pollution associated with imports (DALYs per 1,000 population) | 9.35 | 2024 | 2 | Significant, stagnating |
| 12 | Production-based nitrogen emissions (kg/capita) | 105 | 2024 | 20 | Major, stagnating |
| 12 | Nitrogen emissions associated with imports (kg/capita) | 33.7 | 2024 | 10 | Major, stagnating |
| 12 | Exports of plastic waste (kg/capita) | 4.69 | 2024 | 1 | Significant |
| 12 | Non-recycled municipal solid waste (kg/capita/day) | – | – | 0.8 | No data |
| 13 | CO₂ emissions from fossil fuel combustion and cement production (tCO₂/capita) | 13.5 | 2024 | 2 | Major, stagnating |
| 13 | GHG emissions embodied in imports (tCO₂equiv/capita) | 6.45 | 2024 | 1 | Major, stagnating |
| 13 | CO₂ emissions embodied in fossil fuel exports (tonnes/capita) | 25.7 | 2024 | 0.5 | Major |
| 13 | The Net Effective Carbon Rate (EUR/tCO₂equiv) | 42.2 | 2023 | 60 | Significant, on track or maintaining achievement |
| 14 | Mean area that is protected in marine sites important to biodiversity (%) | 41.7 | 2025 | 85 | Major, stagnating |
| 14 | Ocean Health Index: Clean Waters score (worst 0-100 best) | 91.5 | 2025 | 80 | Achieved, on track or maintaining achievement |
| 14 | Fish caught from overexploited or collapsed stocks (% of total catch) | 36.3 | 2018 | 25 | Challenges remain, on track or maintaining achievement |
| 14 | Fish caught by trawling or dredging (%) | 36.4 | 2019 | 7 | Significant, stagnating |
| 14 | Fish caught that are then discarded (%) | 5.06 | 2019 | 5 | Challenges remain, decreasing |
| 14 | Marine biodiversity threats embodied in imports (per million population) | 0.902 | 2018 | 0.2 | Significant |
| 15 | Mean area that is protected in terrestrial sites important to biodiversity (%) | 34.1 | 2025 | 85 | Major, stagnating |
| 15 | Mean area that is protected in freshwater sites important to biodiversity (%) | 27.4 | 2025 | 85 | Major, stagnating |
| 15 | Red List Index of species survival (worst 0-1 best) | 0.964 | 2025 | 0.9 | Achieved, stagnating |
| 15 | Permanent deforestation (% of forest area, 3-year average) | 0.006 | 2024 | 0.05 | Achieved |
| 15 | Imported deforestation (m²/capita) | 19.8 | 2022 | 10 | Challenges remain, on track or maintaining achievement |
| 16 | Homicides (per 100,000 population) | 1.98 | 2024 | 1.5 | Challenges remain, stagnating |
| 16 | Crime is effectively controlled (worst 0-1 best) | 0.902 | 2024 | 0.8 | Achieved, stagnating |
| 16 | Unsentenced detainees (% of prison population) | 46.9 | 2022 | 30 | Significant, decreasing |
| 16 | Birth registrations with civil authority (% of children under age 5) | 100 | 2023 | 98 | Achieved |
| 16 | Corruption Perceptions Index (worst 0-100 best) | 75 | 2025 | 60 | Achieved, stagnating |
| 16 | Children involved in child labor (%) | 0 | 2025 | 2 | Achieved |
| 16 | Exports of major conventional weapons (TIV per 100,000 population) | 0.568 | 2025 | 0.04 | Challenges remain, stagnating |
| 16 | Press Freedom Index (worst 0-100 best) | 78.8 | 2026 | 70 | Achieved, stagnating |
| 16 | Access to and affordability of justice (worst 0-1 best) | 0.556 | 2024 | 0.65 | Significant, decreasing |
| 16 | Timeliness of administrative proceedings (worst 0-1 best) | 0.659 | 2024 | 0.7 | Challenges remain, decreasing |
| 16 | Expropriations are lawful and adequately compensated (worst 0-1 best) | 0.77 | 2024 | 0.7 | Achieved, stagnating |
| 16 | Persons held in prison (per 100,000 population) | 90.7 | 2022 | 100 | Achieved, on track or maintaining achievement |
| 17 | Government spending on health and education (% of GDP) | 12.7 | 2023 | 10 | Achieved, on track or maintaining achievement |
| 17 | For high-income and all OECD DAC countries: International concessional public finance, including official development assistance (% of GNI) | 0.32 | 2025 | 0.7 | Major, stagnating |
| 17 | Other countries: Government revenue excluding grants (% of GDP) | – | – | 30 | No data |
| 17 | Corporate Tax Haven Score (best 0-100 worst) | 0 | 2025 | 60 | Achieved |
| 17 | Financial Secrecy Score (best 0-100 worst) | 58 | 2025 | 45 | Major, decreasing |
| 17 | Shifted profits of multinationals (US$ billion) | 0 | 2022 | 1 | Achieved |
| 17 | Statistical Performance Index (worst 0-100 best) | 92.4 | 2024 | 80 | Achieved, on track or maintaining achievement |
| 17 | Index of countries' support to UN-based multilateralism (worst 0-100 best) | 59.5 | 2026 | 75 | Significant |
Canada against the world, goal by goal
The SDG Index ranks countries overall, but Canada’s position varies enormously from goal to goal.
Canada’s position in the world on each goal, 2025
Share of countries with a higher goal score than Canada. Short bars: near the top of the world. Long bars: near the bottom.
Where Canada is going backwards
10 indicators on Canada’s dashboard are moving in the wrong direction since 2015.
| Goal | Indicator | Latest value | Year | Green threshold |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Prevalence of obesity, BMI ≥ 30 (% of adult population) | 26.2 | 2022 | 10 |
| 2 | Human Trophic Level (best 2-3 worst) | 2.4 | 2023 | 2.2 |
| 4 | Net primary enrollment rate (%) | 95 | 2023 | 97 |
| 4 | Underachievers in mathematics (% of 15-year-olds) | 21.6 | 2022 | 15 |
| 8 | Unemployment rate (% of total labor force, ages 15+) | 7.29 | 2026 | 5 |
| 14 | Fish caught that are then discarded (%) | 5.06 | 2019 | 5 |
| 16 | Unsentenced detainees (% of prison population) | 46.9 | 2022 | 30 |
| 16 | Access to and affordability of justice (worst 0-1 best) | 0.556 | 2024 | 0.65 |
| 16 | Timeliness of administrative proceedings (worst 0-1 best) | 0.659 | 2024 | 0.7 |
| 17 | Financial Secrecy Score (best 0-100 worst) | 58 | 2025 | 45 |
Canada’s own monitoring
Workshop questions
On which three goals does Canada score highest relative to the rest of the world, and on which two is it near the bottom? Use the ‘position in the world’ chart.
Canada’s rank has changed little since 2015, while its score has barely moved. Can a country’s rank fall even if its score rises? Explain with an example from the rank chart.
Check your reasoning
Yes. Rankings are relative: if other countries improve faster, a country can lose places while its own score rises. That is why monitoring reports focus on distance to target and trends, not ranks.
Choose two indicators from ‘Where Canada is going backwards’. For each, propose one federal or provincial policy that could reverse the trend and one indicator you would use to check that it worked.
Pick one goal and show how a provincial breakdown (from EnviroSocial Canada or Statistics Canada) changes the national picture. Which province would change Canada’s colour if it were a country?
Canada ranks in the bottom quarter of countries on international spillovers. Which spillover indicators drive this, and which are within Canada’s control?