Almost half of the world’s population lives on the equivalent of $2 a day. Globally, women continue to do 2.6 times the amount of unpaid work and domestic care than men do. Building up the global economy sustainably will help expand equal opportunity and accelerate the progress of achieving the other Sustainable Development Goals. 

Without timely, quality data, sustainable economic growth would not be possible. Economic data can help improve productivity and ethical labor practices. Governments need reliable data on the skills and education of their workforce to identify key areas of improvement. Inclusive data is key to ensuring that we leave no one behind in decision-making, creating policies that create decent work for all people.

People were poor not because they were stupid or lazy. They worked all day long, doing complex physical tasks. They were poor because the financial institutions in the country did not help them widen their economic base.

— Muhammad Yunus, entrepreneur and Nobel Peace Prize recipient