Sustainable Development Goal 11
Make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
Sustainable Development Goal 11 is to “make cities inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable”, 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 10 targets and 16 indicators for SDG 11. 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 11.1Safe and affordable housing
SDG Indicator 11.1.1Urban population living in slums
Definition of the SDG indicator: Indicator 11.1.1 is the “proportion of urban population living in slums, informal settlements or inadequate housing” in the UN SDG framework.
A slum household is defined as a group of individuals living under the same roof lacking one or more of the following conditions: access to improved water, access to improved sanitation, sufficient living area, durability of housing, and security of tenure.
Informal settlements are often synonymous with slums, and refer to settings lacking security of tenure, formal basic services and city infrastructure, and compliance with current planning and building regulations. Inadequate housing meets the same criteria used to define slums, but is also assessed on the criteria of affordability, location, and cultural adequacy.
Data for this indicator is shown in the interactive visualization as the share of urban population living in slums. Internationally comparable data for the other components of this indicator is not currently available.
Goal: By 2030 “ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums.”
Target 11.2Affordable and sustainable transport systems
SDG Indicator 11.2.1Public transport access
Definition of the SDG indicator: Indicator 11.2.1 is the “proportion of population that has convenient access to public transport, by sex, age and persons with disabilities” in the UN SDG framework.
Although the United Nations Human Settlements Programme has developed a methodology for estimating this indicator, internationally comparable data by country is not yet available.
Goal: “Provide access to safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable transport systems for all” by 2030.1
Target 11.3Inclusive and sustainable urbanization
SDG Indicator 11.3.1Sustainable urbanization rates
Definition of the SDG indicator: Indicator 11.3.1 is the “ratio of land consumption rate to population growth rate” in the UN SDG framework.
Data on land consumption is only available for individual cities, which we are not able to effectively visuliaze, so for this indicator no data is shown.
Goal: “Enhance inclusive and sustainable urbanization and capacity for participatory, integrated and sustainable human settlement planning and management in all countries” by 2030.
No data for this indicator
We are currently not aware of data for this indicator. You can notify us of available data for this indicator via our feedback form.
SDG Indicator 11.3.2Urban planning management
Definition of the SDG indicator: Indicator 11.3.2 is the “proportion of cities with a direct participation structure of civil society in urban planning and management that operate regularly and democratically” in the UN SDG framework.
Internationally comparable data on this indicator is not yet available.
Goal: “Enhance inclusive and sustainable urbanization and capacity for participatory, integrated and sustainable human settlement planning and management in all countries” by 2030.
No data for this indicator
We are currently not aware of data for this indicator. You can notify us of available data for this indicator via our feedback form.
Target 11.4Protect the world's cultural and natural heritage
SDG Indicator 11.4.1Protecting cultural heritage
Definition of the SDG indicator: Indicator 11.4.1 is the “total per capita expenditure on the preservation, protection and conservation of all cultural and natural heritage, by source of funding (public, private), type of heritage (cultural, natural) and level of government (national, regional, and local/municipal)” in the UN SDG framework.
Data for this indicator is shown in the interactive visualization. It is given as per capita expenditure – from public and private sources – on cultural and natural heritage preservation, protection, and conservation. This data is reported in constant dollars, which adjusts for inflation.
Goal: “Strengthen efforts to protect and safeguard the world’s cultural and natural heritage” by 2030.
Target 11.5Reduce the adverse effects of natural disasters
SDG Indicator 11.5.1Deaths and injuries from natural disasters
Definition of the SDG indicator: Indicator 11.5.1 is the “number of deaths, missing persons and directly affected persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 population” in the UN SDG framework.
We show a range of relevant indicators in the interactive visualizations. The first chart shows the rate of deaths and missing persons from natural disasters, given per 100,000 people in a population. The other charts in the series include a range of metrics relevant to indicator 11.5.1.
Goal: By 2030 “significantly reduce the number of deaths and the number of people affected by disasters.”2
More research: Further data and research on this topic can be found at the Our World in Data topic page on Natural Disasters.
SDG Indicator 11.5.2Economic losses from natural disasters
Definition of the SDG indicator: Indicator 11.5.2 is the “direct economic loss attributed to disasters in relation to global gross domestic product (GDP)” in the UN SDG framework.
This indicator measures the ratio of direct economic loss from a disaster to gross domestic product, where direct economic loss is defined as the monetary value of totally or partially destroyed physical assets in the affected area. This includes losses in agriculture, all other productive assets, housing, critical infrastructure, and cultural heritage.
Country-level data for this indicator is shown in the first interactive visualization in the series. The other visualizations in the series provide data from other sources, and trends in this data at the global level.
Goal: By 2030, “substantially decrease the direct economic losses relative to global gross domestic product caused by disasters, including water-related disasters, with a focus on protecting the poor and people in vulnerable situations.”2
More research: Further data and research on this topic can be found at the Our World in Data topic page on Natural Disasters.
SDG Indicator 11.5.3Damage to critical infrastructure and disruptions to basic services
Definition of the SDG indicator: Indicator 11.5.3 is the “(a) damage to critical infrastructure and (b) number of disruptions to basic services, attributed to disasters” in the UN SDG framework.
Limited internationally comparable data on this indicator is currently available, so is not reported here.
Goal: By 2030, “substantially decrease the direct economic losses relative to global gross domestic product caused by disasters, including water-related disasters, with a focus on protecting the poor and people in vulnerable situations.”2
No data for this indicator
We are currently not aware of data for this indicator. You can notify us of available data for this indicator via our feedback form.
Target 11.6Reduce the environmental impacts of cities
SDG Indicator 11.6.1Solid waste management
Definition of the SDG indicator: Indicator 11.6.1 is the “proportion of municipal solid waste collected and managed in controlled facilities out of total municipal waste generated, by cities” in the UN SDG framework.
This indicator measures the share of urban solid waste that is regularly collected and managed.
Regional data is shown in the interactive visualization; it is not available at the national or municipal level.
Goal: “By 2030, reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including by paying special attention to municipal and other waste management.”3
SDG Indicator 11.6.2Urban air pollution
Definition of the SDG indicator: Indicator 11.6.1 is the “annual mean levels of fine particulate matter (e.g. PM2.5 and PM10) in cities (population weighted)” in the UN SDG framework.
This indicator measures the population-weighted exposure to ambient PM2.5 and PM10 pollution; that is, concentrations of suspended particles measuring less than 2.5 or 10 microns in diameter.
Data for PM2.5 pollution is shown in the interactive visualization; data for PM10 pollution is not available, and is not shown here.
Goal: “By 2030, reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including by paying special attention to air pollution.” 3
More research: Further data and research on this topic can be found at the Our World in Data topic page on Air Pollution.
Target 11.7Provide access to safe and inclusive green and public spaces
SDG Indicator 11.7.1Open spaces in cities
Definition of the SDG indicator: Indicator 11.7.1 is the “average share of the built-up area of cities that is open space for public use for all, by sex, age and persons with disabilities” in the UN SDG framework.
Internationally comparable data on this indicator is not yet available, and thus is not reported here.
Goal: “Provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces by 2030.”
No data for this indicator
We are currently not aware of data for this indicator. You can notify us of available data for this indicator via our feedback form.
SDG Indicator 11.7.2Safe spaces in cities
Definition of the SDG indicator: Indicator 11.7.2 is the “proportion of persons victim of physical or sexual harassment, by sex, age, disability status and place of occurrence, in the previous 12 months” in the UN SDG framework.
Internationally comparable data on this indicator is not yet available, and thus is not reported here.
Goal: “Provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces in particular for women and children, older persons and persons with disabilities” by 2030.
Target 11.aStrong national and regional development planning
SDG Indicator 11.a.1Urban and regional planning
Definition of the SDG indicator: Indicator 11.a.1 is the “number of countries that have national urban policies or regional development plans that (a) respond to population dynamics; (b) ensure balanced territorial development; and (c) increase local fiscal space” in the UN SDG framework.
This indicator is measured by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme and the United Nations Population Fund, through the evaluation of official documents on national urban policies and regional development plans. Data for this indicator is shown in the interactive visualization.
As an example, “responding to population dynamics” would mean that urban policies or regional development plans will be suited to – and will factor in future changes – in demographics such as age, sex ratio, household size, mobility, and migration.
Goal: “Support positive economic, social and environmental links between urban, peri-urban and rural areas by strengthening national and regional development planning” by 2030.
Target 11.bImplement policies for inclusion, resource efficiency and disaster risk reduction
SDG Indicator 11.b.1Integrated disaster risk management
Definition of the SDG indicator: Indicator 11.b.1 is the “number of countries that adopt and implement national disaster risk reduction strategies in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030” in the UN SDG framework.
This indicator identifies countries who have and have not adopted and implemented disaster risk management strategies in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.
The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 is an international agreement that aims to strengthen disaster preparedness in order to reduce risk and losses from disasters. Although the indicator definition is framed in terms of the number of countries adopting national disaster risk reduction strategies in line with the Sendai Framework, the United Nations tracks this measure in terms of country levels of implementation.
The interactive visualization here shows levels of country implementation, on a scale from 0 to 1 (where the higher score, the more policies have been implemented). It’s based on an average score from 10 sub-indicators that collectively reflect progress towards implementation of the Sendai Framework.
Goal: “Substantially increase the number of cities and human settlements adopting and implementing holistic disaster risk management at all levels.”4
More research: Further data and research on this topic can be found at the Our World in Data topic page on Natural Disasters.
SDG Indicator 11.b.2Local disaster risk management
Definition of the SDG indicator: Indicator 11.b.2 is the “proportion of local governments that adopt and implement local disaster risk reduction strategies in line with national disaster risk reduction strategies” in the UN SDG framework.
In this context, “local governments” refers to sub-national administrative bodies that have responsibility for developing disaster risk reduction strategies.
The interactive visualization shows the share of local administrations that have adopted disaster risk reduction strategies in line with a country’s national strategy.
Goal: “Substantially increase the number of cities and human settlements adopting and implementing holistic disaster risk management at all levels.”4
More research: Further data and research on this topic can be found at the Our World in Data topic page on Natural Disasters.
Target 11.c Support least developed countries in sustainable and resilient building
SDG Indicator 11.c.1 [Under development]
Definition of the SDG indicator: This indicator is currently under development, as per the UN SDG framework.
Goal: “Support least developed countries, including through financial and technical assistance, in building sustainable and resilient buildings utilizing local materials” by 2030.
No data for this indicator
We are currently not aware of data for this indicator. You can notify us of available data for this indicator via our feedback form.
Endnotes
Full text: “By 2030, provide access to safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable transport systems for all, improving road safety, notably by expanding public transport, with special attention to the needs of those in vulnerable situations, women, children, persons with disabilities and older persons.”
Full text: “By 2030, significantly reduce the number of deaths and the number of people affected and substantially decrease the direct economic losses relative to global gross domestic product caused by disasters, including water-related disasters, with a focus on protecting the poor and people in vulnerable situations.”
Full text: “ By 2030, reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including by paying special attention to air quality and municipal and other waste management.
Full text: “By 2020, substantially increase the number of cities and human settlements adopting and implementing integrated policies and plans towards inclusion, resource efficiency, mitigation and adaptation to climate change, resilience to disasters, and develop and implement, in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030, holistic disaster risk management at all levels.”
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Our articles and data visualizations rely on work from many different people and organizations. When citing this article, please also cite the underlying data sources. This article can be cited as:
Our World in Data team (2023) - “Make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable” Published online at OurWorldInData.org. Retrieved from: 'https://ourworldindata.org/sdgs/sustainable-cities' [Online Resource]BibTeX citation
@article{owid-sdgs-sustainable-cities,
author = {Our World in Data team},
title = {Make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable},
journal = {Our World in Data},
year = {2023},
note = {https://ourworldindata.org/sdgs/sustainable-cities}
}
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