The present societies at global level are exposed to various problems and complex challenges due to unbridled growth and the earth is facing a cart–before the horse situation. Hence sustainable development has emerged as a priority to have a balance between economic development and the environmental protection. In the light of sustainable development goals, this paper overviews the application of machine learning algorithms in the analysis and monitoring of economic, environmental and social outcomes. They can have an impact on the promotion of sustainability and resource efficiency which will help the decision makers to implement correct measures to achieve sustainable development. In aspects concerned with the transition from unsustainable to sustainable development, sustainable life styles, strategies for sustainable development in agriculture, energy utilization and living, unsustainability, views and milestones in the path of sustainable development are explained. Application of ML Models in meeting the sustainable development goals and their impact on societal, economic and environmental outcomes are also dealt with. Among the various ML models, Random Forest, Support Vector Machine and Neural Network can be improved and used much towards sustainable development. ML methods can enable the delivery of all 17 goals and 169 targets documented in the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development. It is also reported that AI can enable 134 of the 169 SDG targets which accounts to 79%.