SUSTAINABLE REPORT 2025
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The 2025 Sustainable Development Report (SDR) highlights that none of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are currently on course to be fully realized by 2030. Only 17% of the specific targets are advancing as intended. Factors such as conflicts, structural weaknesses, and limited fiscal capacity are hindering progress in many regions globally.
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For the first time, the report introduced a simplified SDG Index (SDGi), employing one primary indicator per goal — a total of 17 — to monitor overall progress. This streamlined approach aims to reduce statistical distortions caused by missing data across countries.
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A new metric — "Minimum dietary diversity among children aged 6 to 23 months" — has been added under SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), as noted in the SDR dataset.
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The report identifies SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), SDG 14 (Life Below Water), SDG 15 (Life on Land), and SDG 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions) as especially lagging. These goals are marked in red on dashboards, reflecting minimal or no progress since 2015.
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The SDG Index is measured on a 0–100 scale, representing a country's proximity to achieving the SDGs. The gap between a nation’s score and 100 reflects the remaining distance to reach optimal performance.
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Finland ranks first on the 2025 Index with a score of 87. European countries dominate the top 20 positions, occupying 19 of them. India has entered the top 100 for the first time, securing the 99th position with a score of 67. The country's rank has shown consistent improvement over recent years — from 109 in 2024, 112 in 2023, 121 in 2022, and 120 in 2021.
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Regionally, India still lags behind some of its South Asian peers. Bhutan stands at 74th (70.5), Nepal at 85th (68.6), and the Maldives at 53rd. Sri Lanka is ranked 93rd, whereas Bangladesh and Pakistan are further behind at 114th and 140th respectively
| Rank 2025 | Country | Score 2025 |
| 1 | Finland | 87.0 |
| 2 | Sweden | 85.7 |
| 3 | Denmark | 85.3 |
| 4 | Germany | 83.7 |
| 5 | France | 83.1 |
| 98 | Belize | 67 |
| 99 | India | 67 |
| 100 | Mongolia | 66.7 |
| 159 | Niger | 50.3 |
| 158 | Madagascar | 51.0 |
- Sustainable development, as defined by the United Nations, refers to progress that addresses current needs without jeopardizing the ability of future generations to fulfill their own. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are an extension of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which were introduced in 2000 with a target year of 2015.
- In India, the SDG Index assesses the performance of states and Union Territories (UTs) across a range of indicators such as health, education, gender equality, economic development, institutional strength, environmental sustainability, and climate action. Since its initial release in December 2018, the SDG India Index has become the primary tool for tracking the country’s advancement toward these global goals.
- Scores on the SDG India Index fall within a 0–100 scale, with higher scores indicating greater progress toward meeting the targets. States and UTs are grouped into four categories based on their scores: aspirants (0–49), performers (50–64), front-runners (65–99), and achievers (100). As per the NITI Aayog’s 2023–24 SDG Index, India achieved a score of 71.
- The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, commonly referred to as Agenda 2030, is a global framework adopted by the United Nations. It comprises 17 SDGs that the international community aims to fulfill by the year 2030
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At the United Nations Summit of the Future held in September 2024, member nations reaffirmed their dedication to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and to strengthening multilateral cooperation. The Summit concluded with the unanimous adoption of three major agreements: the Pact for the Future, the Global Digital Compact, and the Declaration on Future Generations.
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The Summit of the Future (SoTF) was held on September 22–23, just prior to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York. Its central theme was “multilateral solutions for a better tomorrow.”
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UN Secretary-General António Guterres described the event as a “once-in-a-generation UN Summit,” emphasizing its historical significance as the UN marked its 80th anniversary in 2024.
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In the 2025 edition of the Index of Countries’ Support to UN-Based Multilateralism (UN-Mi), Barbados secured the top position with a score of 92, followed closely by Jamaica. India was placed 113th with a score of 63.8. This index specifically evaluates nations’ commitment to multilateralism rooted in the UN system and does not account for contributions through other international forums such as BRICS, G20, G7, or OECD.
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As noted in the Sustainable Development Report (SDR), the Pact for the Future outlines 56 action points focused on SDG implementation, global peace, and collective security. It also advocates for major reforms in the multilateral framework and the global financial system (United Nations, 2024).
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For Prelims: Agenda 2030, Sustainable Development Report (SDR) 2025, Millenium development goals
For Mains: GS II - International reports
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Previous Year Questions
1.Consider the following statements: (UPSC CSE 2016) 1. The Sustainable Development Goals were first proposed in 1972 by a global think tank called the ‘Club of Rome’. 2. The Sustainable Development Goals have to be achieved by 2030. Which of the statements given above is/are correct? (a) 1 only (b) 2 only (c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2 Answer (b) 2.Sustainable development is described as the development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. In this perspective, inherently the concept of sustainable development is intertwined with which of the following concepts? (UPSC CSE 2010) (a) Social justice and empowerment (b) Inclusive Growth (c) Globalization (d) Carrying capacity Answer (d) |
