What is SDG 3 and why is it key?
SDG 3 is crucial because a healthy society is a necessary condition for any sustainable social, economic, and environmental progress. This goal includes fundamental targets such as reducing maternal and child mortality; ending epidemics such as AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, and neglected tropical diseases, and achieving universal health coverage and access to safe and affordable medicines and vaccines, among others.
Origin of SDG 3
Its origin lies in the evolution of international efforts to improve global health, especially since the late 20th century. These include the Alma-Ata Conference, Kazakhstan (1978), which marked a milestone by declaring that health is a fundamental human right and promoted primary health care as the foundation for well-being, and the Millennium Declaration (2000), whose Millennium Development Goals (MDGs, 2000–2015) were the direct predecessor of the SDGs. Three of its eight goals were directly related to health: reducing child mortality, improving maternal health, and combating HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases.
International importance of SDG 3
It is a key SDG for several reasons: first, because health is a basic human right. Without health, people cannot study, work, or fully develop. In addition, health is a pillar for sustainable development, as better health levels boost productivity, reduce poverty, and strengthen social and economic systems. Finally, it is an area interconnected with other SDGs. For example: Education (SDG 4) – sick children cannot attend school; Gender equality (SDG 5) – women without access to sexual and reproductive health have limited autonomy; Climate action (SDG 13) – climate affects vector-borne diseases, air quality, etc.
The international importance of SDG 3 lies in its central role in ensuring healthy, equitable, and sustainable societies worldwide, preventing more than 5 million children under five from dying each year from preventable causes or 1 in 2 people globally from lacking full access to essential health services. SDG 3 drives the expansion of access to affordable, essential health services, a key issue on the agenda of organizations such as WHO, the World Bank, or GAVI (the Vaccine Alliance). Moreover, tackling infectious diseases (such as HIV, tuberculosis, or COVID-19), epidemics, or the health impacts of climate change requires coordinated international responses. SDG 3 reinforces this shared framework for action.
SDG 3 targets and indicators
Maternal and child mortality
One of the priority targets of SDG 3 is to reduce the global maternal mortality rate to less than 70 per 100,000 live births. However, in 2020, the global rate was 223 maternal deaths, with regions such as sub-Saharan Africa reporting figures up to seven times higher than the world average. Most of these deaths are preventable through prenatal care, safe deliveries, and basic sexual and reproductive health services.
Regarding childhood, the goal is to end preventable deaths of newborns and children under five years of age. In 2022, 4.9 million children under five died, most within the first months of life. The target is to reduce this figure to less than 25 deaths per 1,000 live births (children under five) and less than 12 per 1,000 (newborns). Timely health care, adequate nutrition, and maternal education are key factors in achieving this goal.
Communicable and non-communicable diseases
SDG 3 aims to end epidemics of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, and neglected tropical diseases. While significant progress has been made, in 2022 there were still 630,000 deaths from HIV, 1.3 million from tuberculosis, and 608,000 from malaria. These diseases mainly affect contexts with fragile health systems, poverty, and lack of access to treatments.
At the same time, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) —such as cancer, diabetes, or cardiovascular diseases— represent a growing challenge. They are responsible for about 74% of all deaths worldwide, around 41 million deaths annually. The aim is to reduce premature mortality from NCDs by one-third through health promotion, early detection, and access to treatment.
Universal health coverage and access to medicines
Mental health has become a growing priority within SDG 3, with the goal of reducing suicide rates and improving the treatment of mental, neurological, and substance use disorders. Each year, more than 700,000 people die by suicide, and millions live with untreated disorders due to stigma and lack of adequate services, especially in low- and middle-income countries.
Road safety and accident prevention are also key components of well-being. Traffic accidents cause more than 1.19 million deaths annually and are the leading cause of death among people aged 5 to 29. SDG 3 seeks to reduce these figures through prevention policies, safe infrastructure, and effective regulation of traffic and substance use.
Public policies and health research
Achieving SDG 3 requires strong public policies, sustained investment, and an intersectoral approach. Many countries still allocate less than 5% of their GDP to health, limiting their capacity to provide equitable, quality care. It is also essential to strengthen governance, social participation, health information systems, and territorial equity approaches.
Scientific research and innovation in health are also essential drivers of progress. The COVID-19 pandemic showed how investment in science can save millions of lives but also revealed inequalities in access to knowledge and technologies. Investing in research —especially on neglected diseases and health systems— is crucial to anticipate future threats and improve global health equitably.
How the United Nations measures SDG 3
The UN measures SDG 3 through 27 official indicators that monitor key aspects of global health (mortality, diseases, access to services, pollution, etc.). These indicators are essential for assessing progress, identifying gaps, and guiding sustainable public health policies. Each target has numerical indicators defined by the UN Statistics Division in coordination with specialized agencies, mainly the World Health Organization (WHO). Countries periodically collect and report data, which are then consolidated and published by UN bodies. The indicators allow comparing global health trends, identifying inequalities, and designing evidence-based public policies.
These data are published on official platforms such as the UN SDG Indicators Database or the WHO Global Health Observatory, as well as the annual progress reports of the 2030 Agenda.
ISGlobal's vision for SDG 3
ISGlobal adopts the "Health in All Policies" approach proposed by the World Health Organization (WHO), which urges consideration of the health impacts of public policies, highlighting that SDGs other than SDG 3 are also closely related to health. Scientific evidence shows that variables such as education, gender, working conditions, or the environment in which people live have a direct impact on health. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic offers a clear example of the connection between environmental sustainability, biodiversity, and human health on a planetary, borderless scale. In this regard, for several years, ISGlobal has been promoting a broad and cross-cutting approach to health within the 2030 Agenda, which we call SDG3+.
ISGlobal Strategy 2020-2030 for the SDGs
By combining research on communicable diseases with the study of chronic diseases and their environmental and climatic causes, ISGlobal has progressively adopted the principles of the 2030 Agenda, reinforcing the role of knowledge, innovation, and capacity building in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Since 2020, it has developed an internal strategy aligned with the 2030 Agenda to strengthen its impact on policy-making, promote institutional sustainability, and transparently commit to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The SDG Strategy 2020-2030 reflects the institution's direct link with SDGs 3 (health), 11 (cities), and 17 (partnerships), followed by SDGs 4 (education), 5 (gender), 8 (decent work), 10 (inequality), 12 (responsible consumption and production), and 13 (climate action). The document also sets out 17 strategic objectives that the institution considers priorities for ISGlobal's effective contribution to the 2030 Agenda and establishes a series of performance indicators to monitor the implementation of planned actions in five areas of work: sustainability, equity, research and innovation, policy impact, and health outcomes.
Relevant projects and studies
ISGlobal promotes research programs focused on SDG 3 and other SDGs with direct or indirect health impacts, transforming knowledge into practical solutions. Among them, the Maternal, Child and Reproductive Health program focuses on improving malaria control in pregnant women and children, identifying causes of maternal and child mortality, and evaluating maternal immunization. Another is the Climate, Air Pollution, Nature and Urban Health program, which studies the effects of climate change and urban exposures (such as pollution, temperature, green spaces, and noise) on health, as well as the health benefits of climate policies.
Other lines of action linked to promoting the SDGs are driven by the Translation and Impact area. For example, through the strengthening of health as a strategy for Spanish cooperation by offering new ideas to improve its impact, or by working on the ground to improve health equity with new models of action and development projects based on scientific evidence generated in strategic collaboration with partners in Bolivia, Morocco, and Mozambique.
Partnerships with WHO and global networks
ISGlobal is part of the UN Global Compact Spain and actively participates in networks and collaboration spaces to advance the implementation of the SDGs. Locally and regionally, it is part of the Barcelona + Sustainable Network, the Academic Advisory Council of the 2030 Agenda of Barcelona City Council, the Catalonia 2030 Alliance promoted by the Generalitat, and the Advisory Council of the SDG Observatory led by "la Caixa" Foundation and Esade. Internationally, it coordinates the Health for All initiative alongside academic institutions in China and India, within the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), under the leadership of Jeffrey Sachs. It is also part of the Advisory Council of the Spanish Network for Sustainable Development (REDS).
SDG 3 and its links to other goals
Health is deeply intertwined with other SDGs that, while not explicitly mentioning health, have a decisive impact on its social determinants. SDGs such as 1 (No Poverty), 2 (Zero Hunger), 4 (Quality Education), 5 (Gender Equality), 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), 10 (Reduced Inequalities), 11 (Sustainable Cities), and 13 (Climate Action), among others, indirectly but significantly influence population health.
- SDG 1, on poverty eradication, is key for health, as poverty limits access to health services, adequate nutrition, housing, and safe working conditions, increasing vulnerability to diseases.
- SDG 2 seeks to end hunger and improve nutrition, which is essential to prevent issues such as malnutrition, anemia, obesity, and chronic diseases. Good nutrition is fundamental for comprehensive development throughout life.
- SDG 4, which promotes quality education, improves health by enabling knowledge about healthy habits, appropriate use of health services, and self-care, especially among young populations.
- SDG 5, focused on gender equality, has a direct impact on sexual and reproductive health, equitable access to health services, and protection against gender-based violence.
- SDG 6 guarantees universal access to safe water and sanitation, essential elements for preventing infectious diseases that particularly affect the poorest populations.
- SDG 10, which promotes reducing inequalities, also improves health equity, as factors such as socioeconomic level, ethnicity, or place of residence determine access to quality healthcare.
- SDG 11, on sustainable cities, highlights the importance of healthy urban planning: clean air, active transportation, green spaces, and safe environments foster physical and mental health in urban contexts.
- SDG 13, focused on climate action, emphasizes how climate change worsens health risks, especially for vulnerable populations, through respiratory diseases, extreme weather events, and increased food insecurity.
For a comprehensive view, visit Sustainable Development Goals and Global Health.
