Living sustainably

Find out about the UN's17 Sustainable Development Goals.

Around 10 percent of the world’s population, or 734 million people, live on less than $1.90 a day. To build a sustainable and fair future for the world, the UN has made ending poverty its first goal.

Around the world, hunger and limited access to food is still a major problem for millions of people. Ending hunger so that all people have the nutrition they need is one of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Good health and wellbeing add to people's quality of life and help them live longer. Disease and lack of access to healthcare can limit people's lives and prevent them from contributing to their community. Lifestyle can have either a positive or negative impact on physical and mental health.

The UN recognises education as crucially important in helping people escape poverty and giving them the tools to build a better life for themselves. In some parts of the world access to education is still a problem.

The UN recognises gender equality as a fundamental human right. Across the world women and girls are still denied equal rights as males and still experience discrimination.

Globally, billions of people do not have access to clean water and working sanitation. As well as thirst, lack of access to clean water can cause the spread of waterborne diseases.

While the world is moving to adopt clean, renewable energy sources, many developing nations still struggle to get access to reliable electricity and safe cooking and heating fuels.

The UN recognises the importance of safe, rewarding jobs that pay enough to allow people to live fulfilling lives. There are still many nations where people struggle to earn a living or face terrible working conditions.

The UN recognises the role of industry, innovation and infrastructure in making our societies flexible and progressive. Now more than ever these things need joined up thinking to ensure they are future proof with sustainability at heart.

The UN recognises the importance of protecting the most vulnerable people and the right for all to live fulfilling lives. Many people around the world face inequality because of their gender, race, sexuality, or because they have a disability.

More than half of the world's population live in cities. Housing, transport and services need to be sustainable to improve the quality of people's lives and to minimise climate change.

Everything we produce and consume has an impact on the environment. To live sustainably we need to reduce the resources we use and the amount of waste we produce. There's a long way to go but there are already improvements and reasons to be hopeful.

Climate change is already affecting every country around the world. We all need to act to limit how much the climate changes and to cope with its effects.

People around the world rely on the oceans, seas and rivers for water, food and sometimes their livelihood. Oceans help shape our climate and capture large amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Climate change and human activity threaten ecosystems across the planet. We need to live more sustainably to protect species from extinction and to preserve our own lives, health, food and jobs.

The UN recognises the important role that justice, peace, and strong institutions have in delivering all of the Sustainable Development Goals. Honest and fair governments and legal institutions are essential to protecting and promoting human rights.

The UN recognises the importance of people powered networks which can make a difference implementing the aims of all of the sustainable development goals at both a local and global level.