Global Outlook on Financing for Sustainable Development 2025

The biennial flagship Global Outlook on Financing for Sustainable Development provides a comprehensive analysis of major trends impacting the global financial system and financing for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The report addresses the interconnected crises hindering progress towards the 2030 Agenda, including the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the climate crisis, rising inequalities, fragility and the growing financial gaps in developing countries. By offering multidisciplinary insights, it highlights the interdependence of economic and social systems and the urgency of collective action for fairer, inclusive global growth.

The Outlook serves as a critical resource for development co-operation providers by raising the importance of new systemic challenges, fostering policy coherence for sustainable development and demystifying the complexity of emerging co-operation actors and financial modalities. Through its evidence-based recommendations, it aims to help the OECD and its members shape the international response to development challenges, as custodians of norms and standards for sustainable development finance.

Ten years after the adoption of the Addis Ababa Action Agenda (AAAA) in 2015, this edition takes stock of progress and setbacks, analysing emerging challenges in financing sustainable development. Its comprehensive review of the AAAA commitments allows the international community to assess how well the framework has responded to evolving global dynamics, and where adjustments are needed to better align with the 2030 Agenda and Paris Agreement. By examining the seven action areas of the AAAA, it provides critical insights into systemic barriers, highlighting innovative solutions and actionable pathways for strengthening the global financing architecture, and ensuring it remains fit for purpose in the post-2025 era.

Statistical annexes, at the end of each chapter starting from Chapter two, provide a paragraph-by-paragraph assessment of the AAAA, with key data points tracking progress against relevant SDG targets and indicators. The data points are mainly drawn from the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals Extended Report 2024 and its statistical annexes. Trend data in are in constant USD 2015 prices unless otherwise indicated.

The OECD inter-directorate task force, led by the Development Co-operation Directorate (DCD), prepared fact sheets and statistical annexes to monitor progress on the seven action areas of the AAAA with critical analysis and key data points. Submitted to the United Nations and Member States to inform preparations for the FfD4 Elements paper, they align with international processes and have been finalised as chapters two to eight within this report. To ensure inclusivity, the drafts were made publicly available for feedback, reflecting the OECD’s commitment to broad consultation and collaboration with stakeholders. Through its fact sheets and statistical annexes, the Outlook enhances accountability and transparency, equipping countries with tools to measure progress and improve the effectiveness of their financing strategies.

Faced with significant challenges, including escalating financing gaps and geopolitical tensions, the FfD4 Conference needs to balance ambition with practicality in addressing sustainable development priorities. Inclusive governance and policy coherence are critical to overcoming these hurdles, as disparities in decision-making structures and resource allocation undermine global trust and cooperation. In response, the OECD’s Global Outlook on Financing for Sustainable Development offers practical support to FfD4 negotiators, with evidence-based insights and recommendations to align priorities, foster equity and integrate diverse stakeholder perspectives. By emphasising inclusive decision-making processes that amplify the voices of developing countries, and leveraging its expertise in policy coherence, the OECD aims to help craft a financing framework that is resilient, actionable, and capable of meeting the post-2025 sustainable development agenda.