Goal 9: Industry, Innovation & Infrastructure

Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation.

9.1

Develop sustainable, resilient and inclusive infrastructures

Develop quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure, including regional and transborder infrastructure, to support economic development and human well-being, with a focus on affordable and equitable access for all.

9.2

Promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization

Promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and, by 2030, significantly raise industry’s share of employment and gross domestic product, in line with national circumstances, and double its share in least developed countries.

9.3

Increase access to financial services and markets

Increase the access of small-scale industrial and other enterprises, in particular in developing countries, to financial services, including affordable credit, and their integration into value chains and markets.

9.4

Upgrade all industries and infrastructures for sustainability

By 2030, upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable, with increased resource-use efficiency and greater adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies and industrial processes, with all countries taking action in accordance with their respective capabilities.

9.5

Enhance research and upgrade industrial technologies

Enhance scientific research, upgrade the technological capabilities of industrial sectors in all countries, in particular developing countries, including, by 2030, encouraging innovation and substantially increasing the number of research and development workers per 1 million people and public and private research and development spending.

9.A

Facilitate sustainable infrastructure development for developing countries

Facilitate sustainable and resilient infrastructure development in developing countries through enhanced financial, technological and technical support to African countries, least developed countries, landlocked developing countries and small island developing States.

9.B

Support domestic technology development and industrial diversification

Support domestic technology development, research and innovation in developing countries, including by ensuring a conducive policy environment for, inter alia, industrial diversification and value addition to commodities.

9.C

Universal access to information and communications technology

Significantly increase access to information and communications technology and strive to provide universal and affordable access to the Internet in least developed countries by 2020.

Goal 9: Industry, Innovation & Infrastructure

2.4 billion people lack access to basic sanitation.

Current Situation

Inclusive and sustainable industrialization is a key driver of development by increasing economic productivity, creating jobs and generating income leading to a reduction in poverty and overall economic growth. Industrialization also encourages greater investment in skills development and education thereby providing opportunities for the advancement of social inclusion goals such as women and youth empowerment.

Innovation and technological progress are key to finding lasting solutions. Globally, investment in research and development (R&D) as a proportion of GDP increased from 1.5 per cent in 2000 to 1.7 percent in 2015. In communications infrastructure, more than half of the world’s population is now online and almost the entire world population lives in an area covered by a mobile network.

>50 %

of the world’s population is now online

Impact Opportunity

In 2018, 96 percent of the world’s population lived within reach of a mobile-cellular signal, and 90% of people could access the Internet through a third-generation (3G) or higher-quality network.

Targets for SDG 9 consist of developing quality, sustainable, and resilient infrastructure such as sustainable transport and digital technologies. This includes regional and transborder infrastructure in order to support economic development and human well-being, with a focus on affordable and equitable access for all.

By 2030, this goal aims to upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable, with increased resource-use efficiency and greater adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies and industrial processes, with all countries taking action in accordance with their respective capabilities.

In 2018, 96 percent of the world’s population lived within reach of a mobile-cellular signal.

Progress

The Intelligent Cities Project

Helping cities understand and forecast how AI will shape their future

Through this program, we are building the Urban Assessment Tool for city administrations to understand the areas where AI will likely affect their specific region and population in the coming years.

The recommendations will include assessment areas like urban planning and development, education, energy, and healthcare services. Learn more about the program and Urban Assessment Tool here.

Research Paper

Artificial Intelligence, Firm Growth, and Industry Concentration

By Tania Babina, Anastassia Fedyk, Alex Xi He & James Hodson

Which firms invest in artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, and how do these investments affect individual firms and industries? The paper provides a comprehensive picture of the use of AI technologies and their impact among US firms over the last decade, using a unique combination of job postings and individual-level employment profiles. It also introduces a novel measure of investments in AI technologies based on human capital and document that larger firms with higher sales, markups, and cash holdings tend to invest more in AI.

Resources

Shared Datasets

Access to Internet

The International Telecommunication Union measures internet access across the globe twice a year using survey data.

Globalization and Industrialization in Developing Countries

This study investigates the effect of the latest wave of economic globalization on manufacturing employment in developing countries.

UNIDO Industrialization Intensity Index

Gives graphs as well as country highlights relevant to survey results.

Ongoing Research

Knowledge green fields of grass on the research university with city landscape in the background

The Open Knowledge Database

The Open Knowledge Database contains more than 30,000 publications from the World Bank and their partners on different topics in all areas of the UN’s SDGSs.

UNIDO world bank research Research

The World Bank conducts and makes publicly available analytical and research work that underpins their understanding of global challenges and priorities.

WRI working on computer with graph and charts

WRI Maps & Data

Provides maps, charts, data sets, infographics, and other visual resources based on their research in many global areas including: resources, energy, sustainability, climate-change, environmental conservation.