The year 2016 is a critical year for adolescent sexual and reproductive health (ASRH), when two key global health strategies – the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development ¹ and the United Nations Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health ² – are being put into effect. Both strategies will inform and catalyse the collaborative and global efforts on ASRH for the next 15 years. While the goals and targets for these strategies have been agreed upon, the indicators to track the targets are currently being debated. The chosen indicators will have wide-reaching implications for ASRH programming, policy-making and resource allocation at all levels: globally, nationally and locally. As conversations on indicator development continue, we must accurately define what we are and what we are not measuring and acknowledge the limitations of the chosen indicators.