Quantifying the role of nitrogen in achieving global Sustainable Development Goals

Achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) requires balancing well-being with environmental protection, yet the role of nitrogen across these goals remains poorly understood. Here, we show how dietary nitrogen intake and nitrogen release to air and water are associated with SDG progress across 166 countries from 2000 to 2022. Higher per-capita nitrogen intake is positively associated with social and economic SDGs, whereas nitrogen release is negatively associated with environmental goals. Economic development is linked to improved SDG performance but also to greater dietary nitrogen demand and nitrogen losses, while warming is associated with pressure on food systems and nitrogen management. Nitrogen-related factors account for 38% of the variation in SDG scores, compared with 34% for climatic conditions and 28% for socio-economic factors. These findings identify nitrogen management as a cross-cutting component of sustainable development and support strategies that align food security, pollution control and climate adaptation across development contexts.