Sustainable Development Goal 9
Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation
Sustainable Development Goal 9 is to “build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation”, according to the United Nations.
The visualizations and data below present the global perspective on where the world stands today and how it has changed over time.
The UN has defined 8 targets and 12 indicators for SDG 9. Targets specify the goals and indicators represent the metrics by which the world aims to track whether these targets are achieved. Below we quote the original text of all targets and show the data on the agreed indicators.
Target 9.1Develop sustainable, resilient and inclusive infrastructures
SDG Indicator 9.1.1Road access for rural populations
Definition of the SDG indicator: Indicator 9.1.1 is the “proportion of the rural population who live within 2 km of an all-season road” in the UN SDG framework.
An “all-season road” is defined as a road that is motorable all year round by the prevailing means of rural transport, and is not likely to be impassable for 7 days or more each year. Predictable interruptions of short duration during inclement weather (e.g. heavy rainfall) are accepted, particularly on low volume roads.
Data for this indicator is shown in the interactive visualization.
Target: “Develop quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure, including regional and transborder infrastructure, to support economic development and human well-being, with a focus on affordable and equitable access for all.”
SDG Indicator 9.1.2Passenger and freight volumes
Definition of the SDG indicator: Indicator 9.1.2 is “passenger and freight volumes, by mode of transport” in the UN SDG framework.
Passenger and freight volumes are respectively measured in passenger-kilometers and tonne-kilometers, and broken down by mode of transport. These measures refer to the number of passengers or tonnes, multiplied by how many kilometers they were carried.
Data for this indicator related to passenger-kilometers on rail (first chart) and air (second chart), and tonne-kilometers of freight by air (third chart) are shown in the interactive visualizations.
Target: “Develop quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure, including regional and transborder infrastructure, to support economic development and human well-being, with a focus on affordable and equitable access for all.”
More research: Further data and research on these topics are available at the Our World in Data topic pages on trade & globalization, transport, and tourism.
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Target 9.2Promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization
SDG Indicator 9.2.1Manufacturing value
Definition of the SDG indicator: Indicator 9.2.1 is “manufacturing value added as a proportion of GDP and per capita” in the UN SDG framework.
This indicator measures the manufacturing sector's contribution to a country's total gross domestic product (GDP). Value added is the net output of a sector after adding up all outputs and subtracting intermediate inputs in manufacturing production.
Data for this indicator is shown in the interactive visualization.
Target: “Promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and, by 2030, significantly raise industry’s share of employment and gross domestic product, in line with national circumstances, and double its share in least developed countries.”
SDG Indicator 9.2.2Manufacturing employment
Definition of the SDG indicator: Indicator 9.2.2 is “manufacturing employment as a proportion of total employment” in the UN SDG framework.
This indicator measures the manufacturing sector's employment as a share of the country's total employment. Employment refers to all persons of working age who, during a specified brief period, were in paid employment (whether at work or with a job but not at work) or in self-employment (whether at work or with an enterprise but not at work).
Data for this indicator is shown in the interactive visualization.
Target: “Promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and, by 2030, significantly raise industry’s share of employment and gross domestic product, in line with national circumstances, and double its share in least developed countries.”
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Target 9.3Increase access to financial services and markets
SDG Indicator 9.3.1Value of small-scale industry
Definition of the SDG indicator: Indicator 9.3.1 is the “proportion of small-scale industries in total industry value added” in the UN SDG framework.
Data for this indicator is shown in the interactive visualization.
Target: “Increase the access of small-scale industrial and other enterprises, in particular in developing countries, to financial services, including affordable credit, and their integration into value chains and markets.”
SDG Indicator 9.3.2Small-scale industries with affordable credit
Definition of the SDG indicator: Indicator 9.3.2 is the “proportion of small-scale industries with a loan or line of credit”, in the UN SDG framework.
Data for this indicator is shown in the interactive visualization.
Target: “Increase the access of small-scale industrial and other enterprises, in particular in developing countries, to financial services, including affordable credit, and their integration into value chains and markets.”
Target 9.4Upgrade all industries and infrastructures for sustainability
SDG Indicator 9.4.1CO2 emissions per unit of value added
Definition: Indicator 9.4.1 is “CO2 emissions per unit of value added” in the UN SDG framework.
This indicator is a measure of carbon intensity; it reports the quantity of carbon dioxide emitted per unit of economic value (kilograms of CO2 emitted per dollar of GDP).
Data for this indicator is shown in the interactive visualization.
Target: “By 2030, upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable, with increased resource-use efficiency and greater adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies and industrial processes, with all countries taking action in accordance with their respective capabilities.”
More research: Further data and research on these topics are available at the Our World in Data topic page on CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions.
Target 9.5Enhance research and upgrade industrial technologies
SDG Indicator 9.5.1Research and Development (R&D) spending
Definition of the SDG indicator: Indicator 9.5.1 is “research and development expenditure as a proportion of GDP” in the UN SDG framework.
This indicator measures expenditure on research and development (R&D) activities as a percentage of total gross domestic product (GDP) of a given country.
Expenditures for research and development are current and capital expenditures (both public and private) on creative work undertaken systematically to increase knowledge, including knowledge of humanity, culture, and society, and the use of knowledge for new applications. R&D covers basic research, applied research, and experimental development.
Data for this indicator is shown in the interactive visualization.
Target: “Enhance scientific research, upgrade the technological capabilities of industrial sectors in all countries, in particular developing countries, including, by 2030, encouraging innovation and substantially increasing the number of research and development workers per 1 million people and public and private research and development spending.”
SDG Indicator 9.5.2Researchers per million inhabitants
Definition of the SDG indicator: Indicator 9.5.2 is the number of “researchers (in full-time equivalent) per million inhabitants” in the UN SDG framework.
Researchers in R&D are professionals engaged in the conception or creation of new knowledge, products, processes, methods, or systems and in the management of the projects concerned. Postgraduate PhD students engaged in R&D are included.
Data for this indicator is shown in the interactive visualization.
Target: “Enhance scientific research, upgrade the technological capabilities of industrial sectors in all countries, in particular developing countries, including, by 2030, encouraging innovation and substantially increasing the number of research and development workers per 1 million people and public and private research and development spending.”
Target 9.aFacilitate sustainable infrastructure development for developing countries
SDG Indicator 9.a.1Development assistance for infrastructure
Definition of the SDG indicator: Indicator 9.a.1 is the “total official international support (official development assistance plus other official flows) to infrastructure” in the UN SDG framework.
Official development assistance refers to flows provided by official agencies, with the primary goal of promoting economic development and welfare in developing countries, and are concessional, with a grant element of at least 25 per cent.
Data for this indicator is shown in the interactive visualization.
Target: “Facilitate sustainable and resilient infrastructure development in developing countries through enhanced financial, technological and technical support to African countries, least developed countries, landlocked developing countries and small island developing States.”
Target 9.bSupport domestic technology development and industrial diversification
SDG Indicator 9.b.1Medium and high-tech industry
Definition of the SDG indicator: Indicator 9.b.1 is the “proportion of medium and high-tech industry value added in total value added” in the UN SDG framework.
This indicator measures the share of a country's manufacturing value added which is derived from medium to high-tech industry outputs. Higher values indicate that a country's industrial sector is more focused on high-tech manufacturing.
Data for this indicator is shown in the interactive visualization.
Target: “Support domestic technology development, research and innovation in developing countries, including by ensuring a conducive policy environment for, [among other things], industrial diversification and value addition to commodities.”
Target 9.cUniversal access to information and communications technology
SDG Indicator 9.c.1Mobile phone network coverage
Definition of the SDG Indicator: Indicator 9.c.1 is the “proportion of population covered by a mobile network, by technology” in the UN SDG framework.
This indicator is measured as the share of people who live within range of a mobile phone signal, regardless of whether they use or subscribe to a mobile phone network.
Data for this indicator is shown in the interactive visualizations. The first chart shows data on this measure by type of network, and the second chart shows data for 4G networks specifically.
Target: “Significantly increase access to information and communications technology and strive to provide universal and affordable access to the Internet in least developed countries by 2020.”
More research: Further data and research on these topics are available at the Our World in Data topic pages on the Internet and technological change.
Additional charts
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Our World in Data team (2023) - “Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation” Published online at OurWorldInData.org. Retrieved from: 'https://ourworldindata.org/sdgs/industry-innovation-infrastructure' [Online Resource]BibTeX citation
@article{owid-sdgs-industry-innovation-infrastructure,
author = {Our World in Data team},
title = {Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation},
journal = {Our World in Data},
year = {2023},
note = {https://ourworldindata.org/sdgs/industry-innovation-infrastructure}
}
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