This study presents a systematic method for assessing Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) progress using open-source big data for 254 Chinese cities, comparing results with those obtained using statistical data. The authors find big data a promising alternative for tracking SDG progress, even in data-scarce cities. Analysis reveals a correlation between decreasing SDG Index scores and decreasing city size, highlighting the need for improved SDG progress in smaller cities for balanced national sustainability.

Yu Liu, Bo Huang, Huadong Guo, Jianguo Liu