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Most Downloaded Publications This Week
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UN E-Government Survey 2024
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World Urbanization Prospects 2025: Summary of Results
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World Population Prospects 2024: Summary of Results
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Population and Vital Statistics Report 2026
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Financing for Sustainable Development Report 2026
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 297
Financing for Development
April 2026
Financing for Sustainable Development Report 2026
The Financing for Sustainable Development Report 2026: Implementing the Sevilla Commitment finds that development progress is imperiled by global fragmentation and a financing squeeze facing developing countries. Instead of progress promised in 2015, the world is rapidly moving backward. The FSDR 2026 shows how the Sevilla Commitment can be operationalized to reverse the current trends in financing for development, even in these most difficult circumstances. The implementation of the Sevilla Commitment represents the best hope to achieve the SDGs.
(pdf)
Capacity Development, Financing for Development, Population, Social Development, Sustainable Development
April 2026
SIDS & UN DESA: Partners for a prosperous, sustainable and resilient future for small island developing States (March 2026 update)
The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) supports and works together with small island developing States (SIDS) on a range of initiatives tailored to the unique sustainable development challenges facing these island nations. This document highlights the ways in which UN DESA provides analysis, capacity development and intergovernmental support in line with the Department's six action areas.

This version has been updated through March 2026.
(pdf)
Population
February 2026
World Population Highlights 2026: Youth
Young people are a vital driving force in all societies, contributing energy, innovation and creativity to national development and to the achievement of the Goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Yet, many continue to face significant barriers that limit young people’s ability to realise their full potential and to participate meaningfully in society.
World Population Highlights 2026: Youth provides sound, comparable and timely data on global youth population trends, including changes in size and geographical distribution and key dimensions of youth well-being. The report identifies priority actions to reduce disparities, promote sustainable livelihoods…
(pdf)
Social Development
February 2026
World Youth Report: Youth Mental Health and Well-being
The World Youth Report on Youth Mental Health and Well-being examines how youth mental health and well-being are shaped by six social determinants, i.e. education, employment, family dynamics, poverty, technology, and societal attitudes. The Report highlights how inequalities in these areas create disparities in mental health outcomes, noting that stigma, discrimination, and unequal access to opportunities and care compound risks for young people.
Drawing on extensive literature reviews, expert consultations, youth surveys, and real-life youth testimonies, the Report stresses cross-sectoral action, inclusive policies, and youth-led initiatives. Ultimately, it calls for…
(pdf)
Statistics
February 2026
Population and Vital Statistics Report 2026
The Population and Vital Statistics Report presents most recent data on population size (total, male and female) from the latest available census of the population, national official population estimates and the number and rate (births, deaths and infant deaths) for the latest available year within the past 15 years. It also presents United Nations estimates of the mid-year population of the world, and its major areas and regions.
(pdf)
Economic Analysis and Policy
January 2026
World Economic Situation and Prospects 2026
Global economic output is forecast to grow by 2.7 per cent in 2026, slightly below the 2.8 per cent estimated for 2025 and well below the pre-pandemic average of 3.2 per cent.
During 2025, unexpected resilience to sharp increases in U.S. tariffs, supported by solid consumer spending and easing inflation, helped sustain growth. However, underlying weaknesses persist. Subdued investment and limited fiscal space are weighing on economic activity, raising the prospect that the world economy could settle into a persistently slower growth path than in the pre-pandemic era.
The report notes that a partial easing of trade tensions helped limit disruptions to international commerce…
(pdf)
Public Administration
December 2025
World Public Sector Report 2025
The World Public Sector Report 2025 focuses on the role of supreme audit institutions (SAIs) in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The main objectives of the Report are to: (i) provide a global picture of SAIs’ contribution to SDG implementation, follow-up and review in general and in specific SDG areas; and (ii) to examine how the positioning of SAIs in national accountability systems has evolved since 2016 due to the work of SAIs on SDGs. The report aims to present a comprehensive analysis of SAIs’ work related to the SDGs since 2016; analyze the impact of the prioritization of SDG audits on SAIs’ strategies, audit plans and methods of work; identify…
(pdf)
Statistics
December 2025
Demographic Yearbook 75th Issue, 2024
Demographic Yearbook 2024 is the 75th issue in a series published since 1948. Through the cooperation with the National Statistical Offices, official demographic statistics are compiled in the Yearbook, as available, for more than 230 countries and areas of the world up to the reference year 2024. This edition of the Yearbook contains chapters on the population size and distribution, the population of capital cities, fertility, foetal mortality, infant and maternal mortality, general mortality, nuptiality and divorce.
(pdf)
Population
November 2025
World Urbanization Prospects 2025: Summary of Results
Urbanization is reshaping the global landscape of human life. Since 1950, the share of the world’s population living in urban areas has surged, and it is projected to continue rising through 2050. This report presents the highlights of the 2025 Revision of the World Urbanization Prospects and offers a concise yet powerful overview of this transformation, combining global and regional trends with country-level insights spanning the period from 1950 to 2050. At the heart of this edition is the Degree of Urbanization, a harmonized, spatially based approach that enables meaningful international comparisons, alongside results based on national definitions. The dataset includes the latest…
(pdf)
Capacity Development, Economic Analysis and Policy, Financing for Development, Forest, Gender, Intergovernmental Coordination, Population, Public Administration, Social Development, Statistics, Sustainable Development
October 2025
Advancing Together: Eight decades of progress towards sustainable development for all
As the United Nations marks its 80th anniversary in 2025, this report by the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) traces the evolution of sustainable development within the UN system. It highlights the organization’s role in shaping both the understanding and the practical application of sustainable development.
(pdf)
Capacity Development, Economic Analysis and Policy, Financing for Development, Forest, Gender, Intergovernmental Coordination, Population, Public Administration, Social Development, Statistics, Sustainable Development
October 2025
UN DESA Annual Highlights Report 2025
The UN DESA Annual Highlights report is a tool to communicate the contributions of the Department to the realization of internationally agreed development goals and shared social, economic, and environmental aspirations. It showcases the Department’s role in gauging trends, building capacities, and shaping solutions. UN DESA Highlights 2025 covers activities over the period of the 79th Session of the General Assembly (September 2024 – August 2025) and reflects the Department’s response to the set priorities and expressed needs of Member States. Seven (7) thematic chapters showcase how UN DESA put its expertise to the task of supporting Member State efforts to implement the 2030 Agenda…
(pdf)
Economic Analysis and Policy
September 2025
World Economic Situation and Prospects 2025 September Update
The global economy is expected to experience subdued growth in the coming months amid a challenging trade environment and heightened macroeconomic uncertainties. The world economy is projected to grow by 2.5 per cent in both 2025 and 2026 — below the 2.8 per cent recorded in 2024 and the pre-pandemic average of 3.2 per cent (2010–2019). The 2025 forecast has been raised by 0.1 percentage points since May, while the 2026 outlook is unchanged, with both remaining well below expectations at the start of the year. The modest upgrade to the 2025 outlook reflects stronger-than expected frontloading of economic activity ahead of new U.S. tariffs, lower effective U.S. tariff rates than initially…
(pdf)
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