Mapping Saudi Arabia’s National Sustainability Indicators to the Sustainable Development Goals: A Coverage and Network Analysis

Saudi Arabia’s sustainability transition requires a systematic understanding of how national sustainability indicators represent and connect the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This study identified and consolidated 88 sustainability indicators from official Saudi sources and organized them into a Sustainability Indicator Inventory structured across five sustainability dimensions. The indicators were mapped to all 17 SDGs, producing 359 indicator–SDG associations. Coverage, balance, concentration, and SDG co-occurrence network analyses were applied to evaluate their representation and interconnections. The results showed complete coverage of all 17 SDGs but uneven distribution across goals. SDGs 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12 received comparatively strong representation, while SDGs 5, 7, and 14 were less represented. Network analysis revealed substantial interconnections through shared indicators, with the strongest relationship between SDGs 8 and 9. SDGs 10, 11, and 12 also occupied prominent but distinct network positions. Overall, the study moves beyond assessing whether the SDGs are represented to reveal how they are distributed and interconnected within Saudi Arabia’s national sustainability indicator system. This perspective can support policymakers and relevant institutions in refining sustainability monitoring, identifying imbalances in SDG representation, and strengthening cross-sectoral coordination as Saudi Arabia advances its sustainability agenda.