This groundbreaking research considers impact of COVID-19 on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) using futures modeling in three potential recovery scenarios, capturing the multidimensional effects of the pandemic over the next decade. The studies find that while the social and economic impacts of COVID-19 are set to widen the gap between people living in rich and poor countries, countries on the lower end of human development can exceed pre-COVID development trajectories, through a combination of bold policy choices and investments in governance, social protection, green economy and digitalization (an ‘SDG Push’). Conducted with the Fredrick S. Pardee Center for International Futures at the University of Denver, full data sets and study insights are available on UNDP’s COVID-19 Data Futures platform, where users can explore COVID impact across scenarios and development indicators per country and region.

The publication “Leaving No One Behind: Impact of COVID-19 on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)” (April 2021) covers impact in low- and middle-income countries, while the foundational research report “Pursuing the Sustainable Development Goals in a World Reshaped by COVID-19” (April 2021) focuses on global developments.