The European Union has made notable progress toward achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) over the past five to six years, according to new 2026

monitoring data released by Eurostat. However, the latest assessment also highlights uneven performance, with stagnation in international cooperation and setbacks in key environmental areas.

Based on short-term trends, the EU shows significant progress in five SDGs: decent work and economic growth (SDG 8), responsible consumption and production (SDG 12), reduced inequalities (SDG 10), gender equality (SDG 5), and quality education (SDG 4).

A further nine goals show moderate improvement. Within this group, the strongest advances were recorded in industry, innovation and infrastructure (SDG 9) and zero hunger (SDG 2). In contrast, no measurable progress was identified for partnerships for the goals (SDG 17), indicating stagnation in global cooperation efforts.

The report also points to environmental deterioration in two key areas. The EU has moved away from targets related to life on land (SDG 15) and clean water and sanitation (SDG 6), driven by ongoing biodiversity loss, increasing water scarcity, and declining water quality.

Overall, Eurostat concludes that while the EU is advancing on most SDGs, progress is uneven, with significant variation in pace across objectives. The findings highlight both sustained socio-economic gains and persistent environmental and governance challenges.

A visual summary of the results is available in Eurostat’s brochure, “Sustainable development in the European Union — Overview of progress towards the SDGs in an EU context — 2026 edition.”