— SDG Indicators

SDG Goals

In most countries, the incomes of the poorest rose faster than the national average, but progress is uneven. Since 2015, 6 in 10 countries reduced the share of their population living below half the median income, though low-income countries were less likely to see that progress. Meanwhile, labour’s share of GDP fell between 2015 and 2025, potentially widening income inequality.

Discrimination remains widespread and undermeasured. Nearly one in five people report experiencing discrimination in the past 12 months, with rates varying across groups and countries. Critical data gaps obscure the true scale, limiting effective policy responses and hindering progress.

Refugee numbers have more than doubled since 2015. As conflict has intensified globally, the share of the world’s population living as refugees reached 444 per 100,000 people by mid-2025 – more than double 2015 levels.

Reducing inequality requires closing income gaps, protecting labour and scaling development finance. Addressing these disparities demands redistributive policies, improving labour’s share of economic growth, targeting ODA and foreign investment to countries most in need and tackling the root causes of forced displacement.

Children play at a school in Jabalia, Gaza, now sheltering displaced families – a stark reminder that conflict and humanitarian crises deepen inequality and push the most vulnerable further behind.

In most countries, the poorest 40 per cent saw faster income growth than average, but progress was weakest where poverty is deepest

Of 112 countries with at least two comparable surveys since 2015, nearly 60 per cent recorded income or consumption growth for the poorest 40 per cent that outpaced the national average, suggesting that growth has been broadly inclusive in most countries. However, progress has not been consistent across regions.

East and South-East Asia saw the biggest improvements, with 73 per cent of countries achieving inclusive growth, while Central and South Asia trailed at 38 per cent. Latin America and the Caribbean, and North America and Europe also performed well. Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East and North Africa – the regions where extreme poverty is most entrenched – have relatively low shares of countries with pro-poor growth.

This uneven picture reflects a broader income divide. In the majority of lowincome countries, growth has fallen short of the inclusion target of the SDGs.

Share of countries where income and consumption growth of the poorest 40 per cent of the population is higher than the national average, since 2015 (percentage)

Note: Regional grouping follows the World Bank grouping. Figures in brackets refer to the number of countries included.

Six in 10 countries have reduced relative poverty, yet regional disparities persist

Six in 10 countries have reduced the share of people living on less than half the median income – a key measure of income inequality – since 2015, based on a sample of 109 countries. Regional progress varies widely: all countries in Oceania (excluding Australia and New Zealand) have seen improvements, while only 4 in 10 in Central and South Asia have progressed. About 60–70 per cent of countries in other regions have made gains.

A subsample of 93 countries with surveys before and after COVID-19 reveals more nuanced trends. Overall, the share living below half the median income fell by 1.4 percentage points to 13 per cent, with the steepest reductions – exceeding two percentage points – in East and South-East Asia, Oceania (excluding Australia and New Zealand), and sub-Saharan Africa. The trend moved in the opposite direction in Central and South Asia (up two percentage points) and the Middle East and North Africa (up 0.3 percentage points). Latin America and the Caribbean recorded 19 per cent of their population in relative poverty post-pandemic, reflecting high inequality in the region.

Proportion of population living on less than half the median income, before and after COVID-19 (percentage)

* Excluding Australia and New Zealand.
Note: Regional grouping follows the World Bank grouping. Figures in brackets refer to the number of countries included.

Labour’s share of economic output has slipped, fuelling inequality

In 2025, 57.9 per cent of the world’s working-age population was employed, meaning labour income directly supporting 3.6 billion workers and their families. Yet labour’s share of GDP declined from 53.0 per cent in 2015 to 52.6 per cent in 2025 – equivalent to $196 in PPP per worker each year. When labour’s share falls, productivity gains tend to accrue disproportionately to capital, widening inequality since capital income is more likely to flow to those who are better off.

Central and Southern Asia saw improvements in labour’s share of GDP between 2015 and 2025, and LDCs recorded modest gains, even as most regions declined. The sharpest drops were in SIDS (1.9 percentage points) and LLDCs (1.5 percentage points). The steepest decline occurred in 2023 at the peak of post-pandemic inflation, though more recent data suggest a gradual recovery as real wages catch up with earlier price increases, particularly in Europe and Northern America.

One in five people experience discrimination globally, yet data gaps hide the true scale

Nearly one in five people globally report having experienced discrimination in the past 12 months, with race, colour, ethnicity and socioeconomic status as the most common grounds. Persons with disabilities face the highest burden, reporting rates up to two to three times higher than the population as a whole. Women, poorer and less educated populations consistently report higher rates, as do respondents in LDCs.

Yet critical data gaps obscure the full picture. Fewer than half of the countries provide data disaggregated by income, education or migration status. Few countries conduct repeated surveys, limiting the ability to track trends over time. Closing these gaps is essential to understanding the true scale of discrimination and to advancing the commitment to leave no one behind.

While recorded migrant fatalities declined in 2025, many deaths were likely unreported

At least 7,900 people died or disappeared while migrating in 2025, a decline from the 2024 record of 9,197. However, this reduction should not be read as straightforward progress. Restricted access and reduced funding for humanitarian groups are hindering documentation, meaning many fatalities are likely going uncounted.

Asia was the deadliest region with more than 3,300 recorded deaths, breaking the record for the third consecutive year. On the Mediterranean and Atlantic route toward the Canary Islands, 3,404 people were confirmed dead or missing. Along the eastern route from the Horn of Africa to Yemen and Gulf countries, at least 922 people died. In the Americas, a sharp fall in migration movements through the Darién National Park and along the United States-Mexico border saw recorded deaths drop to 412, a historic low.

Migrant fatalities, 2025 (number of deaths)

In a decade of rising conflict, refugee displacement has doubled

The share of the world’s population living as refugees, including people in refugee like situations and other people in need of international protection, reached 444 per 100,000 people by mid-2025. This was more than double the 2015 figure of 214 per 100,000. By the end of June 2025, 36.6 million people were refugees under the mandate of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). A further 5.9 million refugees from the State of Palestine fall under the mandate of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and are not included in this indicator. The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, the Syrian Arab Republic and South Sudan have the highest shares of their national populations displaced across international borders.

Although the total number of refugees under UNHCR’s mandate fell slightly in 2025 due to increased returns, many of these returns occurred under unsafe and unsustainable conditions. Meaningful progress in reducing global displacement will require addressing the root causes of conflict and ensuring sufficient support for refugees and host countries.

International development funding to developing countries has grown, but ODA’s share is shrinking

In 2024, total resource flows for development received by developing countries from Development Assistance Committee donors, multilateral agencies, and other providers reached $508 billion in constant prices – 61 per cent higher than in 2015. Of the total, $256 billion came from official development assistance (ODA), with the remainder comprising other official flows ($81 billion), private sector instruments ($7 billion) and private investment ($165 billion). ODA’s share of the total slipped from 54 per cent in 2015 to 50 per cent in 2024, as private flows – which tend to be more volatile – grew from $117 billion in 2023 to $165 billion in 2024.

Asia received the largest share at $133 billion, followed by Africa ($78 billion), Latin America and the Caribbean ($76.5 billion), Europe ($70.5 billion), and Oceania ($4.1 billion). LDCs received $80 billion. Nearly 29 per cent of flows were not allocated to a specific country. The largest providers of funding were the United States ($321.6 billion), Germany ($66.2 billion) and the European Union ($36.1 billion).