SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOAL 16

Promote just, peaceful and inclusive societies

Sustainable Development Goal 16 is to “promote just, peaceful and inclusive societies”, according to the United Nations.

The visualizations and data below present the latest data on our progress there.

The UN has defined 12 targets and 23 indicators for SDG 16. 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 and some related indicators.

TARGET 16.1
Reduce violence everywhere

SDG INDICATOR 16.1.1
Intentional homicides

Definition of the SDG indicator: Indicator 16.1.1 is the “number of victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 population, by sex and age” in the UN SDG framework.

Intentional homicides are unlawful deaths inflicted upon a person with the intent to cause death or serious injury.

Data for this indicator is shown in the interactive visualization.

Target: “Significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates” across all countries by 2030.

SDG INDICATOR 16.1.2
Conflict-related deaths

Definition of the SDG indicator: Indicator 16.1.2 is “conflict-related deaths per 100,000 population, by sex, age and cause” in the UN SDG framework.

Data for this indicator is shown in the interactive visualization, using data from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation’s Global Burden of Disease. It includes both deaths from conflicts within countries and between them.

Target: “Significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates” across all countries by 2030.

SDG INDICATOR 16.1.3
Prevalence of all forms of violence

Definition: Indicator 16.1.3 is the “proportion of population subjected to (a) physical violence, (b) psychological violence and (c) sexual violence in the previous 12 months”, in the UN SDG framework.

Data for this indicator is shown in two interactive visualizations for physical and sexual violence by gender. Data on psychological violence is not currently available.

Target: “Significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates” across all countries by 2030.

SDG INDICATOR 16.1.4
Public safety

Definition of the SDG indicator: Indicator 16.1.4 is the “proportion of population that feel safe walking alone around the area they live after dark” in the UN SDG framework.

Data for this indicator is shown in the interactive visualization.

Target: “Significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates” across all countries by 2030.

TARGET 16.2
Protect children from abuse, exploitation, trafficking and violence

SDG INDICATOR 16.2.1
Violence against children

Definition of the SDG indicator: Indicator 16.2.1 is the “proportion of children aged 1–17 years who experienced any physical punishment and/or psychological aggression by caregivers in the past month” in the UN SDG framework.

This indicator is measured as the percentage of children aged 14 years and younger who experienced physical punishment or psychological aggression from a caregiver in the previous month. Data on violence to adolescents older than 14 years, or violence beyond the home is not available.

Data for this indicator is shown in the interactive visualization.

Target: “End abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violence against and torture of children” across all countries by 2030.

SDG INDICATOR 16.2.2
Human trafficking

Definition: Indicator 16.2.2 is the “number of victims of human trafficking per 100,000 population, by sex, age and form of exploitation” in the UN SDG framework.

Data for this indicator is shown for the total number of human trafficking victims, and by gender for those aged 18 years and younger, and those over 18 years.

Target: “End abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violence against and torture of children” across all countries by 2030.

SDG INDICATOR 16.2.3
Sexual violence against young men and women

Definition of the SDG indicator: Indicator 16.2.3 is the “proportion of young women and men aged 18–29 years who experienced sexual violence by age 18” in the UN SDG framework.

Data for this indicator is shown for any form of sexual violence by gender. We also show data for the more narrowly defined forced sex.

Target: “End abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violence against and torture of children” across all countries by 2030.

TARGET 16.3
Promote the rule of law and ensure equal access to justice

SDG INDICATOR 16.3.1
Victim reports of crime

Definition of the SDG indicator: Indicator 16.3.1 is the “proportion of victims of violence in the previous 12 months who reported their victimization to competent authorities or other officially recognized conflict resolution mechanisms” in the UN SDG framework.

Data for this indicator is shown in the interactive visualization by type of crime.

Target: “Promote the rule of law at the national and international levels and ensure equal access to justice for all” across all countries by 2030.

SDG INDICATOR 16.3.2
Unsentenced detainees

Definition of the SDG indicator: Indicator 16.3.2 is “unsentenced detainees as a proportion of overall prison population” in the UN SDG framework.

Data for this indicator is shown in the interactive visualization.

Target: “Promote the rule of law at the national and international levels and ensure equal access to justice for all” across all countries by 2030.

SDG INDICATOR 16.3.3
Dispute resolution

Definition of the SDG indicator: Indicator 16.3.3 is the “proportion of the population who have experienced a dispute in the past two years and who accessed a formal or informal dispute resolution mechanism, by type of mechanism” in the UN SDG framework.

Data for this indicator is so far available for few countries, shown in the interactive visualization.

Target: “Promote the rule of law at the national and international levels and ensure equal access to justice for all” across all countries by 2030.

TARGET 16.4
Combat organized crime and illicit financial and arms flows

SDG INDICATOR 16.4.1
Illicit financial flows

Definition of the SDG indicator: Indicator 16.4.1 is the “total value of inward and outward illicit financial flows (in current United States dollars)” in the UN SDG framework.

Internationally comparable data on this indicator is not available, and is therefore not reported here.

Target: “Significantly reduce illicit financial and arms flows, strengthen the recovery and return of stolen assets and combat all forms of organized crime” across all countries by 2030.

SDG INDICATOR 16.4.2
Seized or surrendered arms

Definition of the SDG indicator: Indicator 16.4.2 is the “proportion of seized, found or surrendered arms whose illicit origin or context has been traced or established by a competent authority in line with international instruments” in the UN SDG framework.

Data on this indicator is shown in the interactive visualization.

Target: “Significantly reduce illicit financial and arms flows, strengthen the recovery and return of stolen assets and combat all forms of organized crime” across all countries by 2030.

TARGET 16.5
Substantially reduce corruption and bribery

SDG INDICATOR 16.5.1
Bribery prevalence

Definition of the SDG indicator: Indicator 16.5.1 is the “proportion of persons who had at least one contact with a public official and who paid a bribe to a public official, or were asked for a bribe by those public officials, during the previous 12 months” in the UN SDG framework.

Data on this indicator is shown in the interactive visualization.

Target: “Substantially reduce corruption and bribery in all their forms” across all countries by 2030.

SDG INDICATOR 16.5.2
Bribery in business

Definition of the SDG indicator: Indicator 16.5.2 is the “proportion of businesses that had at least one contact with a public official and that paid a bribe to a public official, or were asked for a bribe by those public officials during the previous 12 months” in the UN SDG framework.

The indicator is measured differently, as the share of firms experiencing at least one bribe payment request across 6 public transactions dealing with utilities access, permits, licences, and taxes.

Data for this indicator is shown in the interactive visualization.

Target: “Substantially reduce corruption and bribery in all their forms” across all countries by 2030.

TARGET 16.6
Develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions

SDG INDICATOR 16.6.1
Governmental expenditures within budgets

Definition of the SDG indicator: Indicator 16.6.1 is “primary government expenditures as a proportion of original approved budget, by sector (or by budget codes or similar)” in the UN SDG framework.

This indicator is measured as the ratio between aggregate budget expenditure and the amount originally approved, expressed in percentage terms.

Data on this indicator is shown in the interactive visualization.

Target: “Develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels” by 2030.

SDG INDICATOR 16.6.2
Satisfaction with public services

Definition of the SDG indicator: Indicator 16.6.2 is the “proportion of population satisfied with their last experience of public services” in the UN SDG framework.

Data for this indicator is so far available for few countries, shown in the interactive visualization.

Target: “Develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels” by 2030.

TARGET 16.7
Ensure responsive, inclusive and representative decision-making

SDG INDICATOR 16.7.1
Representation in public institutions

Definition of the SDG indicator: Indicator 16.7.1 is the “proportions of positions in national and local institutions, including (a) the legislatures; (b) the public service; and (c) the judiciary, compared to national distributions, by sex, age, persons with disabilities and population groups” in the UN SDG framework.

Data for this indicator is shown in the interactive visualizations for women’s representation in the legislature and the judiciary.

Target: “Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels” by 2030.

SDG INDICATOR 16.7.2
Inclusive decision-making

Definition of the SDG indicator: Indicator 16.7.2 is the “proportion of population who believe decision-making is inclusive and responsive, by sex, age, disability and population group” in the UN SDG framework.

Data for this indicator is so far available for few countries, shown in the interactive visualization.

Target: “Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels” by 2030.

TARGET 16.8
Strengthen the participation in global governance

SDG INDICATOR 16.8.1
Developing country participation in international organizations

Definition of the SDG indicator: Indicator 16.8.1 is the “proportion of members and voting rights of developing countries in international organizations” in the UN SDG framework.

This indicator shows international organizations each country or region is a member of, and the proportion of voting rights each country is allocated in each organization.

Data for this indicator is shown in the interactive visualizations.

Target: “Broaden and strengthen the participation of developing countries in the institutions of global governance” by 2030.

TARGET 16.9
Provide universal legal identity

SDG INDICATOR 16.9.1
Birth registration

Definition of the SDG indicastor: Indicator 16.9.1 is the “proportion of children under 5 years of age whose births have been registered with a civil authority, by age” in the UN SDG framework.

Data for this indicator is shown in the interactive visualization.

Target: “Provide legal identity for all, including birth registration” by 2030.

This requires universal birth registration in all countries by 2030.

TARGET 16.10
Ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms

SDG INDICATOR 16.10.1
Journalist and media killings

Definition of the SDG indicator: Indicator 16.10.1 is the “number of verified cases of killing, kidnapping, enforced disappearance, arbitrary detention and torture of journalists, associated media personnel, trade unionists and human rights advocates in the previous 12 months” in the UN SDG framework.

Data is available for the number of killings of human rights defenders, journalists, and trade unionists by gender.

Target: “Ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms, in accordance with national legislation and international agreements” across all countries by 2030.

SDG INDICATOR 16.10.2
Public access to information

Definition of the SDG indicator: Indicator 16.10.2 is the “number of countries that adopt and implement constitutional, statutory and/or policy guarantees for public access to information” in the UN SDG framework.

Data on this indicator is shown in the interactive visualization.

Target: “Ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms, in accordance with national legislation and international agreements” across all countries by 2030.

TARGET 16.A
Strengthen national institutions to prevent violence and combat crime and terrorism

SDG INDICATOR 16.A.1
National human rights institutions

Definition of the SDG indicator: Indicator 16.a.1 is the “existence of independent national human rights institutions in compliance with the Paris Principles” in the UN SDG framework.

This indicator reflects compliance of existing national human rights institutions with the Principles relating to the Status of National Institutions (The Paris Principles) based on the rules of procedure of the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI).

Data for this indicator is shown in the series of interactive visualizations.

Target: “Strengthen relevant national institutions, including through international cooperation, for building capacity at all levels, in particular in developing countries, to prevent violence and combat terrorism and crime” across all countries by 2030.

TARGET 16.B
Promote and enforce non-discriminatory laws and policies

SDG INDICATOR 16.B.1
Public discrimination

Definition of the SDG indicator: Indicator 16.b.1 is the “proportion of population reporting having personally felt discriminated against or harassed in the previous 12 months on the basis of a ground of discrimination prohibited under international human rights law” in the UN SDG framework.

Data on this indicator is shown in the interactive visualization.

Target: “Promote and enforce non-discriminatory laws and policies for sustainable development” across all countries by 2030.