The vulnerability of mountain ecosystems and community residents makes them a key area for the research and implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The sustainable development of underdeveloped mountainous areas is related to the development process and the effectiveness of the United Nations SDGs. Based on the bibliometric method, which focuses on the development goals associated with SDGs related to mountainous areas, the main countries and research produced by scientific institutions associated with the sustainable development of underdeveloped mountainous areas across the globe were analyzed. Five key research areas for sustainable development in underdeveloped mountainous areas: sustainable livelihoods, the health and well-being of residents, water supply and sanitation, ecosystem protection, and climate change and response, which are closely related to SDGs, were selected and research progress and policy measures in each area are described. At the same time, this study investigated ways of improving the evaluation system to promote the systematization of SDGs evaluation in underdeveloped mountainous areas; used big Earth data to remove the data bottleneck associated with SDGs monitoring in underdeveloped mountainous areas; researched the relationship between SDGs to promote their coordinated implementation in underdeveloped mountainous areas; and carried out an SDGs realization path demonstration to help underdeveloped mountainous areas. In terms of the implementation of SDGs policies in developed mountainous areas, this study analyzed the challenges and countermeasures affecting the realization of SDGs in underdeveloped mountainous areas and provides a useful reference for sustainable development research in underdeveloped mountainous areas.