The goal
Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
Digital’s positive impact
Boosts economic growth and helps decouple it from resource consumption
Regional progress toward achieving this goal
As of June 2016
Africa
81/100 81% of countries in this region face a gap to the goal’s targets
19/100 19% of countries in this region face a substantial gap to the goal’s targets
0/100 0% of countries in this region have fulfilled his goal’s targets
0/100 0% of countries have insufficient data to provide a status update
Asia
88/100 88% of countries in this region face a gap to the goal’s targets
12/100 12% of countries in this region face a substantial gap to the goal’s targets
0/100 0% of countries in this region have fulfilled his goal’s targets
0/100 0% of countries have insufficient data to provide a status update
Europe
83/100 83% of countries in this region face a gap to the goal’s targets
0/100 0% of countries in this region face a substantial gap to the goal’s targets
6/100 6% of countries in this region have fulfilled his goal’s targets
11/100 11% of countries have insufficient data to provide a status update
Latin America & Caribbean
54/100 54% of countries in this region face a gap to the goal’s targets
32/100 32% of countries in this region face a substantial gap to the goal’s targets
2/100 2% of countries in this region have fulfilled his goal’s targets
12/100 12% of countries have insufficient data to provide a status update
Northern America
50/100 50% of countries in this region face a gap to the goal’s targets
50/100 50% of countries in this region face a substantial gap to the goal’s targets
0/100 0% of countries in this region have fulfilled his goal’s targets
0/100 0% of countries have insufficient data to provide a status update
Oceania
32/100 32% of countries in this region face a gap to the goal’s targets
47/100 47% of countries in this region face a substantial gap to the goal’s targets
5/100 5% of countries in this region have fulfilled his goal’s targets
16/100 16% of countries have insufficient data to provide a status update
Key challenges for economic growth and employment today:
The average unemployment rate in developing regions is 10%; with 1 in 5 young people looking for a job
In the least developed countries, there is a pressing need to boost economic growth rates from their current average of 4.9% to at least 7% (Target 8.1)
Only 1 in 5 people in the world’s least developed countries have access to a bank account or mobile banking, leaving the vast majority of people in these countries locked out of benefitting from economic development
The average citizen in developed regions consumes 35 tons of natural resources per year – this is 3x more than the “recommended” sustainable limit
Top 5 ways increased connectivity and digital solutions can help
Growing GDP
A recent ITU/Broadband Commission study found that a 10 per cent increase in broadband penetration alone can lead to rises in GDP of between 0.25 and 1.38 per cent, with the highest positive impacts occurring in developing countries. This report also finds that not increasing broadband to universal coverage worldwide would mean missing an opportunity to raise GDP by 12 per cent in developing regions by 2030.
Access to financial services
Online banking and banking through smart devices will help include millions of additional people in the financial system, providing previously unbanked citizens with the benefits of modern consumer finance.
Access to information
Improved access to digital solutions in general can help, for example, farmers and fishermen in some of the poorest regions of the world get access to real-time price information, enabling them to sell into regional, and even global markets at the best price for them.
Better productivity
Digital technologies can bring productivity gains. According to the World Bank, companies using e-commerce are now, on average, 11 per cent more productive, twice as large and twice as likely to export as those that do not.
Reducing resource consumption
Digital solutions can cut the equivalent of 25 billion barrels of oil in 2030, a reduction of 70 per cent compared to today’s oil consumption. Smart-mobility solutions alone could take 135 million cars off the world’s roads and over 330 trillion liters of water could be saved in 2030 from smart agriculture, smart buildings and smart manufacturing. E-work, moreover, could save 0.4 gigatons of greenhouse gas emissions.
The business case
GeSI and Accenture Strategy’s research finds that the digital solutions analyzed could unlock over $9 trillion in economic benefits globally in 2030, saving consumers, businesses and governments around the world over $4.6 trillion while generating $4.5 trillion of new income in industries like agriculture, retail, education, renewable energy and mobility.
+$9 trillion in unlocked economic benefits and more sustainable growth. This could be the global impact of digital solutions by 2030.