Tracking progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) requires monitoring of various social-ecological indicators over space and time, including the ratio of land consumption rate to population growth rate (LCRPGR), an indicator of land-use efficiency (SDG 11.3.1). In this study, we analyzed state-of-the-art Earth observation data (1975–2015) to address three key questions. First, how has the LCRPGR varied over space and time? Second, how is built-up expansion related to population increase across regions? Third, what are some important issues related to the SDGs' land-use efficiency concept? We found that the “Europe and Northern America” SDG region was the least efficient region, having the highest LCRPGR in 1975–2000 and 2000–2015, but the “Eastern and South-Eastern Asia” SDG region is catching up. The World Bank's “high income” region and the United Nations' “very high human development” region were the least efficient regions in 1975–2000, but their places were respectively taken over by the “upper middle income” and “high human development” regions in 2000–2015. Although land consumption rate and population growth rate were positively and significantly correlated at the global level, this was not always the case across regions, indicating that land consumption was not always proportionate to population increase. We identified the non-inclusion of changes in in situ natural capital and the external impacts of cities and urban regions as among the important limitations of the SDGs' land-use efficiency concept. This can be considered in its future reconceptualization.

跟踪可持续发展目标 (SDG) 的进展需要在空间和时间上监测各种社会生态指标，包括土地消费率与人口增长率之比 (LCRPGR)，这是土地利用效率的一个指标（SDG 11.3.1 ）。在这项研究中，我们分析了最先进的地球观测数据（1975-2015）以解决三个关键问题。首先，LCRPGR 如何随空间和时间变化？其次，建成区扩张与跨地区人口增长有何关系？第三，与可持续发展目标的土地利用效率概念相关的一些重要问题是什么？我们发现“欧洲和北美”SDG 区域是效率最低的区域，1975-2000 年和 2000-2015 年的 LCRPGR 最高，但“东亚和东南亚”SDG 区域正在迎头赶上。世界银行' “高收入”地区和联合国“人类发展非常高”地区是1975-2000年效率最低的地区，但它们的位置分别被“中上收入”和“高人类发展”地区取代。 2000-2015 年。尽管在全球范围内，土地消费率和人口增长率呈显着正相关，但不同地区的情况并非总是如此，这表明土地消费并不总是与人口增长成正比。我们确定了不包括在 尽管在全球范围内，土地消费率和人口增长率呈显着正相关，但不同地区的情况并非总是如此，这表明土地消费并不总是与人口增长成正比。我们确定了不包括在 尽管在全球范围内，土地消费率和人口增长率呈显着正相关，但不同地区的情况并非总是如此，这表明土地消费并不总是与人口增长成正比。我们确定了不包括在就地自然资本以及城市和城市地区的外部影响是可持续发展目标土地利用效率概念的重要限制之一。这可以在其未来的重新概念化中考虑。