Achieving sustainable development is an ambitious but necessary goal. There is no alternative: we have to improve welfare and quality of life globally and safeguard the earth’s ability to support life in all its diversity. The Nordic countries have established joint objectives for sustainable development in the Nordic region. In addition, the countries have agreed on a set of sustainability indicators that give an overall picture of our progress.

This brochure briefly describes these Nordic Sustainable Development Indicators, which show long term trends in the following focus areas: theNordic welfare model; viable ecosystems; changing climate; sustainable use of the earth’s resources; and education, research and innovation. A complete set of key indicators, including separate national graphics, can be found on our website .

The website also offers free access to the Nordic Statistics database, which allows you to download data and create graphics for your own analysis. I believe that our indicators are useful not just for decision makers and civil servants but for all who need reliable information and comparable data on development in the Nordic region. Secretary General. Dagfinn Høybråten.