Research on the Impact of Digital Transformation on the Sustainable Development of Rural Revitalization from the Perspective of SDGs

Abstract

In 2015, the United Nations introduced the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which outlines 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a global framework for action. These goals are closely aligned with China’s rural revitalization strategy. In the current context, digital transformation has become a crucial enabler in addressing the developmental imbalances between urban and rural areas. However, the deeper relationship between digital transformation and sustainable rural development remains underexplored, with limited systematic research in this area. Existing studies tend to focus on fragmented aspects, failing to capture the broader patterns and regional disparities in China’s digital and sustainable rural development. Moreover, the integration of SDGs, digital transformation, and rural sustainable development has not been adequately addressed in the literature, constraining the applicability of prior findings. To fill this gap, this paper employs a time-series dataset from 2017 to 2023 and applies an Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression model to conduct an empirical analysis. The results reveal a significant positive effect of rural digital transformation on sustainable rural development. These findings offer both theoretical insights and empirical evidence to support the ongoing advancement of digital rural construction, the refinement of rural revitalization strategies, and the localization of SDG-related efforts in rural areas.