MDG Indicators

What are the indicators used to measure the attainment of MDGs?

The United Nations Secretariat, specialized agencies of the UN system, and representatives of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank and Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) as well as international experts identified and selected the 48 MDG indicators.

The millennium indicators for each goal are as follows:

Goal 1. Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger

• Proportion of population below $1 (PPP) per day

• Poverty gap ratio

• Share of poorest quintile in national consumption

• Prevalence of underweight children under 5 years of age

• Proportion of population below minimum level of dietary energy consumption

Goal 2. Achieve Universal Primary Education

• Net enrolment ratio in primary education

• Proportion of pupils starting grade 1 who reach grade 5

• Literacy rate of 15-24 year-olds

Goal 3. Promote Gender Equality And Empower Women

• Ratios of girls to boys in primary, secondary and tertiary education

• Ratio of literate females to males of 15-24 year-olds

• Share of women in wage employment in the non-agricultural sector

• Proportion of seats held by women in national parliament

Goal 4. Reduce Child Mortality

• Under-five mortality rate

• Infant mortality rate

• Proportion of 1 year-old children immunized against measles

Goal 5. Improve Maternal Health

• Maternal mortality ratio

• Proportion of births attended by skilled health personnel

Goal 6. Combat HIV/Aids, Malaria and Other Diseases

• HIV prevalence among 15-24 year old pregnant women

• Condom use rate of the contraceptive prevalence rate

• Number of children orphaned by HIV/AIDS (to be measured by the ratio or proportion of orphans to non-orphans aged 10-14 who are attending school)

• Prevalence and death rates associated with malaria

• Proportion of population in malaria risk areas using effective malaria prevention and treatment measures

• Prevalence and death rates associated with tuberculosis

• Proportion of tuberculosis cases detected and cured under directly observed treatment short course (DOTS)

Goal 7. Ensure Environmental Sustainability

• Proportion of land area covered by forest

• Ratio of area protected to maintain biological diversity to surface area

• Energy use (kg oil equivalent) per $1 GDP (PPP)

• Carbon dioxide emissions (per capita) and consumption of ozone-depleting CFCs (ODP tons)

• Proportion of population using solid fuels

• Proportion of population with sustainable access to improved water source, urban and rural

• Proportion of urban population with access to improved sanitation

• Proportion of households with access to secure tenure (owned or rented)

Goal 8. Develop A Global Partnership For Development

• Proportion of total bilateral, sector-allocable ODA of OECD/DAC donors to basic social services (basic education, primary health care, nutrition, safe water and sanitation)

• Proportion of bilateral ODA of OECD/DAC donors that is untied

• ODA received in landlocked countries as proportion of their GNIs

• ODA received in small island developing States as proportion of their GNIs

• Market access

• Proportion of total developed country imports (by value and excluding arms) from developing countries and LDCs, admitted free of duties

• Average tariffs imposed by developed countries on agricultural products and textiles and clothing from developing countries

• Agricultural support estimate for OECD countries as percentage of their GDP

• Proportion of ODA provided to help build trade capacity (OECD and WTO are collecting data that will be available from 2001 onwards)

• Debt sustainability

• Total number of countries that have reached their HIPC decision points and number that have reached their HIPC completion points (cumulative)

• Debt relief committed under HIPC initiative, US$

• Debt service as a percentage of exports of goods and services

• Unemployment rate of 15-24 year olds, each sex and total (an improved measure of the targets is under development by ILO for future years)

• Proportion of population with access to affordable essential drugs on a sustainable basis

• Telephone lines and cellular subscribers per 100 population

• Personal computers in use per 100 population and internet users per 100 population