Targets

Above: The top 15 options, as selected and ordered by the experts surveyed. Below: All 117 options, as ordered by the experts surveyed. Each of the columns is sortable. If you cannot sort the columns, refresh the page. For a detailed explanation of the origin of the 117 options, see here.
Researcher's Note: Several results surprised us. Hunger-related and sustainability-related options were ordered significantly lower than we expected. The highest-ordered hunger-related option is at 30; the highest-ordered sustainability-related option at 26. Additionally, we were surprised that boosting per capita GDP - a staple of international development - was ordered at only 40.
  
    Rank
    Survey Target
    Expert Score
    Cluster
  

    1
    Promote rule of law and access to justice
    8.8824
    1 (High)
  

    2
    Eliminate the most extreme poverty
    8.3529
    1 (High)
  

    3
    Ensure access to safe, effective and affordable health care, medicine and vaccines
    6.6353
    1 (High)
  

    4
    Ensure women's rights to economic opportunity, property ownership and inheritance
    6.5412
    1 (High)
  

    5
    Ensure government accountability and transparency
    6.4824
    1 (High)
  

    6
    Ensure all children graduate from primary and secondary schools
    5.5529
    1 (High)
  

    7
    End discrimination against women and girls
    5.3412
    1 (High)
  

    8
    Expand access to safe drinking water
    5.3176
    1 (High)
  

    9
    Promote social, economic and political inclusion
    5.2471
    1 (High)
  

    10
    End corruption and bribery
    4.8588
    1 (High)
  

    11
    Expand access to affordable, reliable, modern energy
    4.5882
    2 (Medium)
  

    12
    End preventable deaths of infants and children under 5 years of age
    4.3176
    2 (Medium)
  

    13
    Ensure literacy and numeracy for youth and adults
    4.2
    2 (Medium)
  

    14
    Ensure equal opportunity in economic and public life
    4.1882
    2 (Medium)
  

    15
    Ensure equal access to legal rights, economic rights and natural resources
    4.0235
    2 (Medium)
  

    16
    Reduce all poverty by half
    3.9647
    2 (Medium)
  

    17
    End violence against women and girls
    3.9059
    2 (Medium)
  

    18
    Ensure safe, accessible sanitation and hygiene
    3.7882
    2 (Medium)
  

    19
    End human trafficking, harsh labor, forced marriage and genital mutilation
    3.6
    2 (Medium)
  

    20
    Improve domestic capacity for tax and revenue collection
    3.5882
    2 (Medium)
  

    21
    Ensure public access to information and fundamental freedoms
    3.3059
    2 (Medium)
  

    21
    Eliminate child abuse, exploitation and violence
    3.3059
    2 (Medium)
  

    23
    Provide affordable access to the Internet and communication technology
    2.8353
    2 (Medium)
  

    24
    Develop reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure
    2.7647
    2 (Medium)
  

    24
    Boost youth and young adult training and employment
    2.7647
    2 (Medium)
  

    26
    Ensure efficient use of natural resources
    2.6824
    2 (Medium)
  

    27
    Expand social protection and services for the poor
    2.6235
    2 (Medium)
  

    28
    Reduce violence and related deaths
    2.5647
    2 (Medium)
  

    29
    Boost economic productivity through diversification, innovation and technology
    2.4118
    2 (Medium)
  

    30
    Expand sustainable, adaptive and resilient food production
    2.3882
    2 (Medium)
  

    30
    Facilitate safe, orderly migration and mobility of people
    2.3882
    2 (Medium)
  

    32
    Reduce maternal mortality
    2.3529
    2 (Medium)
  

    33
    Promote participatory public planning and decision-making
    2.3412
    2 (Medium)
  

    34
    Support laws and policies that promote sustainable development
    2.1765
    2 (Medium)
  

    35
    Provide access to sexual and reproductive health care services
    2.1529
    2 (Medium)
  

    36
    Enhance capacity to gather data and monitor progress
    1.9176
    3 (Low)
  

    37
    Eliminate tax policies and fossil-fuel subsidies that encourage consumption
    1.8706
    3 (Low)
  

    38
    Curtail epidemics of communicable disease
    1.8471
    3 (Low)
  

    39
    Ensure year-round availability of nutritious and sufficient food
    1.8235
    3 (Low)
  

    40
    Boost per capita GDP
    1.7529
    3 (Low)
  

    41
    Combat organized crime and reduce illicit financial and arms flow
    1.6824
    3 (Low)
  

    42
    Reduce water pollution and expand waste-water treatment
    1.6706
    3 (Low)
  

    43
    Protect worker rights and safety
    1.6588
    3 (Low)
  

    43
    Provide safe, affordable and accessible roads and public transportation systems
    1.6588
    3 (Low)
  

    45
    Conserve and manage forests, including stopping and reversing deforestation
    1.6471
    3 (Low)
  

    46
    Eliminate disparity in education and vocational training
    1.6
    3 (Low)
  

    47
    Increase understanding of climate change and sustainable development
    1.5294
    3 (Low)
  

    48
    Address bio-diversity and climate change in national plans and policies
    1.5176
    3 (Low)
  

    49
    Increase understanding of human rights, non violence and diversity
    1.5059
    3 (Low)
  

    50
    Expand safe and productive employment
    1.4941
    3 (Low)
  

    51
    Boost capacity for preventing crime and terrorism
    1.4588
    3 (Low)
  

    52
    Expand access to banking, insurance and financial services
    1.3882
    3 (Low)
  

    53
    Expand access to legal identity
    1.3529
    3 (Low)
  

    54
    Promote growth of micro-, small-, and medium-sized businesses
    1.3294
    3 (Low)
  

    55
    Reduce waste through recycling and reuse
    1.3059
    3 (Low)
  

    56
    Protect the vulnerable from economic, social and environmental disasters
    1.2824
    3 (Low)
  

    57
    Promote public/private and civil society partnerships
    1.2588
    3 (Low)
  

    58
    Halt loss of biodiversity and threatened flora and fauna
    1.2353
    3 (Low)
  

    59
    Boost water use efficiency
    1.2118
    3 (Low)
  

    60
    Ensure access to adequate, safe and affordable housing
    1.2
    3 (Low)
  

    61
    Boost energy efficiency
    1.1765
    3 (Low)
  

    62
    Combat water scarcity
    1.1059
    3 (Low)
  

    63
    Participate in international efforts related to governance, economics, policing, energy and the environment
    1.0706
    3 (Low)
  

    63
    Ensure inclusive and sustainable urbanization
    1.0706
    3 (Low)
  

    65
    Increase investment in rural infrastructure, agricultural research and productive capacity
    1.0353
    3 (Low)
  

    66
    Boost availability of qualified teachers
    0.9765
    3 (Low)
  

    66
    Strengthen capacity to withstand natural disasters
    0.9765
    3 (Low)
  

    68
    Support R&D for new vaccines and medicines
    0.9412
    3 (Low)
  

    69
    Boost employment and GDP of sustainable industries
    0.9294
    3 (Low)
  

    70
    Combat desertification and restore degraded lands
    0.9176
    3 (Low)
  

    71
    Attract development assistance and direct foriegn investment
    0.8588
    3 (Low)
  

    72
    Decouple local economic growth from environmental degredation
    0.8353
    3 (Low)
  

    73
    End illegal fishing and regulate fish stocks
    0.7529
    3 (Low)
  

    74
    End poaching and illegal wildlife trade
    0.7412
    3 (Low)
  

    75
    Provide for the recovery and return of stolen assets
    0.7176
    3 (Low)
  

    76
    Reduce transaction costs of migration remittances
    0.6941
    3 (Low)
  

    77
    Promote mental health and wellness, including prevention and treatment of drug and alcohol abuse
    0.6824
    3 (Low)
  

    77
    Protect marine and coastal ecosystems
    0.6824
    3 (Low)
  

    79
    Conserve and restore terrestrial freshwater ecosystems
    0.6706
    3 (Low)
  

    80
    Encourage environmentally sound industrial businesses
    0.6588
    3 (Low)
  

    81
    Reduce food waste among producers, suppliers, retailers and consumers
    0.6471
    3 (Low)
  

    82
    Recruit, train and retain health workers
    0.5882
    3 (Low)
  

    83
    Boost scientific R&D
    0.5176
    3 (Low)
  

    83
    Double productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers
    0.5176
    3 (Low)
  

    83
    Safeguard the world's and local cultural heritages
    0.5176
    3 (Low)
  

    86
    Ensure access to financial services for small-scale industrial businesses
    0.4588
    3 (Low)
  

    87
    Encourage businesses to report on sustainability practices
    0.4471
    3 (Low)
  

    87
    Reduce death and illness from pollution
    0.4471
    3 (Low)
  

    89
    Improve chemical and waste management
    0.4235
    3 (Low)
  

    90
    Maintain genetic diversity of seeds, crops and livestock
    0.4118
    3 (Low)
  

    91
    Reduce deaths from non-communicable disease
    0.3765
    3 (Low)
  

    92
    Reduce deaths, injuries and economic losses due to natural disaster
    0.3647
    3 (Low)
  

    93
    Improve early warning of health risks
    0.3412
    3 (Low)
  

    94
    Participate in global efforts to advance science, technology and innovation
    0.2941
    3 (Low)
  

    94
    Minimize and reduce ocean acidification
    0.2941
    3 (Low)
  

    96
    Preserve the world's and local natural heritage
    0.2824
    3 (Low)
  

    96
    Expand education scholarships in emerging fields of study
    0.2824
    3 (Low)
  

    98
    Promote sustainable public procurement
    0.2588
    3 (Low)
  

    99
    Conserve at least 10% of coastal and marine areas
    0.2118
    3 (Low)
  

    99
    Reduce food price volatility
    0.2118
    3 (Low)
  

    99
    Prevent and reduce marine pollution
    0.2118
    3 (Low)
  

    102
    Expand sharing of genetic resources and associated knowledge
    0.2
    3 (Low)
  

    102
    Support local technology R&D
    0.2
    3 (Low)
  

    104
    Expand local participation in integrated water resource management
    0.1412
    3 (Low)
  

    104
    Recognize and value unpaid domestic work
    0.1412
    3 (Low)
  

    106
    Boost share of global exports
    0.1294
    3 (Low)
  

    106
    Implement the WHO's tobacco control recommendations
    0.1294
    3 (Low)
  

    108
    Provide safe, accessible green and public spaces
    0.1176
    3 (Low)
  

    108
    Ensure that regional planning links urban, suburban and rural areas
    0.1176
    3 (Low)
  

    110
    Upgrade safety, accessibility and effectiveness of school buildings
    0.0824
    3 (Low)
  

    111
    Boost marine science and technology
    0.0706
    3 (Low)
  

    111
    Develop environmental disaster and resource efficiency plans
    0.0706
    3 (Low)
  

    113
    Promote tourism that creates jobs, promotes local culture and respects the environment
    0.0471
    3 (Low)
  

    114
    Reduce road-related deaths
    0.0118
    3 (Low)
  

    115
    Ensure conservation of mountain ecosystems
    0
    3 (Low)
  

    115
    Provide small-scale fishers access to marine resources and markets
    0
    3 (Low)
  

    115
    Prevent introduction and reverse effects of alien species on native eco-systems
    0
    3 (Low)
  