India Breaks Into Top 100 of Global SDG Rankings for the First Time

India has, for the first time, secured a position among the top 100 countries in the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Index, marking a significant milestone in its development journey. According to the 10th edition of the Sustainable Development Report (SDR) released by the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network on Tuesday, India now ranks 99th out of 167 countries, with a score of 67.

This marks a sharp improvement from previous years—India stood at 109th in 2024 and 112th in 2023. Since 2017, when it ranked 116th, the country has steadily climbed up the ladder, reflecting consistent gains across multiple development indicators.

In comparison, China holds the 49th rank with a score of 74.4, while the United States is ranked 44th with 75.2 points. Among India’s neighbours, Bhutan leads with a rank of 74 (70.5 points), followed by Nepal at 85 (68.6), Sri Lanka at 93, and Bangladesh at 114 (63.9). Pakistan lags at 140 with a score of 57, while the Maldives ranks 53rd.

The SDG Index scores countries on a scale of 0 to 100, with 100 indicating complete achievement of all 17 global goals adopted by the UN in 2015. These goals target the eradication of poverty and hunger, better health and education, gender equality, clean energy, climate action, and more, by 2030.

The report, led by noted economist Jeffrey Sachs, however, paints a grim global picture. Only 17% of the SDG targets are projected to be met by the 2030 deadline, indicating that progress has stalled worldwide. Despite the overall global slowdown, East and South Asia have emerged as the fastest-growing regions in terms of SDG progress since 2015. Notably, Nepal has improved its score by 11.1 points, Cambodia by 10, the Philippines by 8.6, Bangladesh by 8.3, and Mongolia by 7.7. Other global success stories include Benin (+14.5), Uzbekistan (+12.1), UAE (+9.9), and Saudi Arabia (+8.1).

Among the G20 nations, Brazil ranks highest at 25th, while Chile leads the OECD bloc at 7th place. The report also highlights that Barbados, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago are the most committed to the UN's multilateral framework.

On the other end of the spectrum, the United States has been ranked last (193rd) in terms of commitment to SDG principles for the second consecutive year. The report attributes this to its withdrawal from key international commitments like the Paris Climate Agreement and the World Health Organization, and its formal opposition to the SDG framework and the 2030 Agenda.

While some SDGs have seen steady progress—such as access to electricity (SDG 7), mobile broadband (SDG 9), internet use, and reductions in under-five and neonatal mortality (SDG 3)—the report warns of significant backsliding in several areas. These include rising obesity (SDG 2), press freedom erosion (SDG 16), worsening corruption perception (SDG 16), unsustainable nitrogen use (SDG 2), and biodiversity loss (SDG 15), measured through the Red List Index.

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