SDG #9 is to “Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation”
Within SDG #9 are 8 targets, of which we here focus on Target 9.1:
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
Target 9.1 has two indicators:
Indicator 9.1.1: Proportion of the rural population who live within 2 km of an all-season road
Indicator 9.1.2: Passenger and freight volumes, by mode of transport
The measure of rural population within 2km of an all-season road is a proxy for the Rural Access Index. A measure for the quality of roads to help deem it “all-season” is the International Roughness Index.
The countries with the lowest proportion of their rural population within 2km of an all-season road in 2021 were:
Madagascar
Zambia
Lesotho
UAE
Each had less than 20% access.
It's crucial for countries to have transport networks to foster trade and economic development. Such infrastructure needs to encourage sustainable transport. This means accessible, but also decarbonised, whether land-based, maritime or aviation.
The leader in passenger transport by rail is China, with passengers travelling 975 billion kilometres in 2021. By aviation, China was also a leader, with passengers travelling 655 billion kilometres in 2021. China was second to the US, which had 1.11 trillion km’s of a global total of 3.63 billion kilometres.
Measuring air freight by tonnes of kilometres flown, the US and China again lead in 2021. They had 46 billion and 21 billion tonne-kilometres, out of a worldwide total of 219 billion.
