Talking past each other: a review of the quantitative study of interlinkages between the sustainable development goals

Abstract Background The UN Agenda 2030 was approved unanimously by the United Nations (UN) in 2015 as the framework to guide humanity towards sustainable development. Assessing the interactions between the sustainable development goals (SDGs) has emerged as an important multidisciplinary research field, acknowledged both in official UN documentation and scholarly work. The earliest attempts at capturing SDG interlinkages began through qualitative frameworks in 2015 and continue unabated a decade later. Yet, the methodologies utilized for analyzing the SDG interactions have increased in conceptual diversity and are scattered across research domains. Main text In our article, we conducted a systematic review and detailed analysis of the quantitative methods used in the study of SDG interlinkages. Our findings indicate that the scientific community continues to explore the multifaceted interpretations of the 2030 Agenda. The implications of these diverse conceptualizations of SDG interlinkages are inconsistent terminology as well as multiple and incomparable operationalization efforts. A few recent frameworks break new paths towards consistent interpretations of interlinkages, but a research gap remains in operationalizing these enhanced methods. Conclusions The investigation of SDG interlinkages continues to occur through diverse qualitative and quantitative approaches and does not show signs of consolidation into more unified and widely applicable methods. We conclude that, rather than formulating new and increasingly sophisticated methodologies, a consistent approach in interlinkage research, driven by rigorous theoretical principles and causality, should be prioritized.