SDG–Aid Spending Patterns

Where aid spending and SDG measurement coverage overlap or diverge.

Methods under review. This page shows spending patterns and measurement gaps, not development need. SDG data coverage (number of recent indicators) does not establish need — sparse measurement could accompany high need, low need, or a poorly measured outcome. This tool should not be used for allocation decisions. An assessment of where aid should go would require outcome levels, targets, baselines, and national priorities, which are not available here.

This page maps IATI-reported aid spending (by DAC sector code) to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, and overlays it with SDG indicator data coverage from the UN SDG Global Database. It shows where spending and measurement coverage coincide or diverge across Pacific island countries.

$116.1M

90-day aid mapped to SDGs

12/17

SDG goals receiving aid

12/17

goals with both aid & SDG data

Pacific countries analysed

Regional Overview

Key Findings

Spending without baselines: SDG 13 (Climate Action) receive substantial aid but have limited recent SDG data across Pacific countries — making it difficult to measure whether aid is addressing actual needs.
Data without investment: SDG 1 (No Poverty), SDG 5 (Gender Equality), SDG 8 (Decent Work) have relatively good SDG data coverage but receive little aid in the 90-day window — either needs are met, aid arrives through other channels, or there is a gap.
No recent IATI-reported aid: SDG 5 (Gender Equality), SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption) show no 90-day spending mapped to these goals across all 13 Pacific countries. This may reflect sector coding limitations rather than true absence of support.
Mapping limitations: IATI sector codes map imperfectly to SDG goals. "Multisector" and "unallocated" spending ($7.0M) cannot be assigned. A single project may contribute to multiple SDGs but is counted under its primary sector only.
90-day window effect: Aid spending is from the most recent 90-day IATI window, which captures active disbursements but not committed or planned spending. Sectors with lumpy disbursement patterns may appear absent in any given window.

SDG 10 Reduced Inequalities

Aid (90d)

Countries w/ data

13/13

Avg indicators

5.2

SDG 11 Sustainable Cities

Aid (90d)

Countries w/ data

13/13

Avg indicators

5.3

Aid (90d)

Countries w/ data

13/13

Avg indicators

9.5

SDG 16 Peace & Justice

Aid (90d)

$17.5M

Countries w/ data

12/13

Avg indicators

7.2

SDG 17 Partnerships

Aid (90d)

$25.1M

Countries w/ data

13/13

Avg indicators

15.5

By Country

Click a country to see its SDG-by-SDG breakdown.

Country	90-day Aid	Goals w/ Aid	Goals w/ SDG Data	Both	Neither
Papua New Guinea	$32.4M	5/17	16/17	5	1
Fiji	$30.4M	5/17	16/17	4	0
Solomon Islands	$10.1M	5/17	17/17	5	0
Vanuatu	$7.1M	4/17	16/17	3	0
Samoa	$13.7M	5/17	10/17	1	3
Tonga	$8.1M	4/17	16/17	4	1
Kiribati	$4.2M	4/17	16/17	3	0
Tuvalu	$812K	5/17	16/17	5	1
Marshall Islands	$4.9M	5/17	16/17	4	0
Micronesia	$726K	6/17	16/17	5	0
Palau	$222K	5/17	16/17	4	0
Cook Islands	$1.4M	5/17	16/17	5	1
Niue	$9.0M	4/17	15/17	4	2

How this works. IATI transactions are classified by DAC 3-digit sector codes. Each sector code is mapped to a primary SDG goal using the OECD DAC purpose code alignment. SDG data coverage comes from the UN SDG Global Database API — it shows how many indicators have data (especially recent data from 2020+), not whether a country is on or off track. "Alignment" here means whether aid is flowing to sectors that correspond to SDG goals where data exists to measure progress. Absence of spending in a 90-day window does not mean absence of support — it may reflect disbursement timing, sector coding, or channels outside IATI. This analysis is indicative, not evaluative.

Sector-to-SDG Mapping

View the full IATI sector → SDG goal mapping used

IATI Sector Code	SDG Goal
111	SDG 4 Quality Education
112	SDG 4 Quality Education
113	SDG 4 Quality Education
114	SDG 4 Quality Education
121	SDG 3 Good Health
122	SDG 3 Good Health
123	SDG 3 Good Health
130	SDG 3 Good Health
140	SDG 6 Clean Water
151	SDG 16 Peace & Justice
152	SDG 16 Peace & Justice
160	SDG 1 No Poverty
210	SDG 9 Industry & Innovation
220	SDG 9 Industry & Innovation
230	SDG 7 Affordable Energy
231	SDG 7 Affordable Energy
232	SDG 7 Affordable Energy
233	SDG 7 Affordable Energy
234	SDG 7 Affordable Energy
235	SDG 7 Affordable Energy
236	SDG 7 Affordable Energy
240	SDG 8 Decent Work
250	SDG 8 Decent Work
311	SDG 2 Zero Hunger
312	SDG 15 Life on Land
313	SDG 14 Life Below Water
321	SDG 9 Industry & Innovation
322	SDG 8 Decent Work
323	SDG 9 Industry & Innovation
331	SDG 17 Partnerships
332	SDG 8 Decent Work
410	SDG 13 Climate Action
430	Not mapped (multisector/unallocated)
510	SDG 17 Partnerships
520	SDG 8 Decent Work
530	SDG 17 Partnerships
600	SDG 1 No Poverty
720	SDG 1 No Poverty
730	SDG 1 No Poverty
740	SDG 13 Climate Action
910	SDG 17 Partnerships
998	Not mapped (multisector/unallocated)

Sources: IATI via d-portal (sector spending), UN SDG Global Database (development indicators). Generated 2026-10-11. Part of Asa's Pacific Aid Signal.