This goal seeks to improve worldwide health and well-being by promoting healthy lifestyles, preventative measures, and healthcare for everyone. To do this, we must fight diseases, promote mental health and substance abuse, achieve universal access to healthcare, and improve early warning systems for global health risks such as the current pandemic.

• Over 6 million children under the age of 5 die each year – almost all of them could be saved with access to simple and affordable interventions.

• Depression affects around 300 million people worldwide, and that number is projected to increase. Less than half of those people have access to adequate treatment for the disease.

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This goal seeks to provide inclusive and equitable education to everyone by ensuring access to free K-12 education and affordable post-secondary education. To do this, we must eliminate all discrimination in education, build and upgrade schools, expand scholarships for developing countries, and increase the number of quality teachers in developing countries.

• Worldwide almost 60 million children are not able to attend primary school (K-8). Almost 65 million are not able to attend high school. It would take $39 billion each year to send all adolescents to school.

• 53% of the world’s out-of-school children are girls and ⅔ of the illiterate people in the world are women.

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This goal seeks to empower girls and women and ensure equal opportunities and rights by ending gender discrimination and ending violence and exploitation against women. To do this, we must develop and strengthen laws and policies regarding gender equality, provide universal access to reproductive health, and promote the empowerment of women through technology.

• 104 countries ban women from certain jobs. 29 countries restrict the hours women can work. 18 countries allow men to prohibit their wives from working. 17 countries limit when and how women can travel outside the home.

• 200 million fewer women than men have internet access worldwide. In the US, women earn more bachelor’s degrees than men, but only 18% of computer science degrees.

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This goal seeks to close the gap between the richest and poorest in the world and to make all individuals self-sufficient by reducing income inequalities, ending all forms of discrimination, and adopting policies that promote equality. To do this, we must have more representation from developing countries in decision-making, facilitate safe and responsible migration policies, and invest in less developed countries.

• In 1980, the top 1% had 16% of the global income. If nothing changes to reduce inequalities, the number will rise to 39% by 2050. Today, the 80 richest people on earth have the same amount of wealth as the 3.5 billion poorest people.

• In most developed countries, the official unemployment rate for people with disabilities is at least twice that for those without disabilities. In Latin America, about 80-90% of people with disabilities are unemployed or out of work.

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This goal seeks to protect, conserve, and sustainably use oceans, seas, and marine resources by eliminating pollution and over-fishing. To do this, we must protect and restore marine and coastal ecosystems, support small scale fishers, implement and enforce international sea law, and increase research and technology for ocean health.

• The ocean covers 75% of the Earth’s surface. As much as 40% of the ocean is affected by pollution and other human activities. An average of 13,000 pieces of plastic litter can be found on every square kilometer of ocean.

• More than 3 billion people rely on marine and coastal biodiversity for their livelihoods. Due to improper marine management, over-fishing occurs, which results in major economic losses for entire communities.

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This goal seeks to restore and protect the world’s terrestrial ecosystems by focusing on sustainable use and conservation of our forests, wetlands, mountains, and drylands. To do this, we must end deforestation and poaching, increase financial resources and government policies related to ecosystems, and protect natural habitats of threatened species.

• Rainforests only cover 2% of our planet’s surface, but are home to nearly 50% of all species on Earth. Humans destroy over 200,000 acres of rainforest every day.

• Forests are home to more than 80% of all terrestrial species of animals, plants, and insects. Of the 8,300 animal breeds known, 8% are extinct and 22% are at risk of extinction.

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