India has achieved a major milestone in its development journey, securing a spot among the top 100 countries in the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Index for the first time. Ranked 99th out of 193 nations, India scored 67 points on the 2025 SDG Index published by the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network in its latest report released Tuesday.
The report, led by economist Jeffrey Sachs, highlighted that while overall global progress on the SDGs has slowed, India’s performance reflects steady improvements across several development indicators. Among South Asian nations, Bhutan leads at 74th, followed by Nepal at 85th, Sri Lanka at 93rd, Bangladesh at 114th, and Pakistan lagging behind at 140th. India’s maritime neighbors, Maldives and Sri Lanka, placed 53rd and 93rd respectively.
Globally, Finland, Sweden, and Denmark retained the top three positions, continuing Europe’s dominance in the SDG rankings. In fact, 19 of the top 20 nations are European. However, even these top performers face challenges in meeting targets related to climate change and biodiversity due to high levels of consumption.
While only 17 percent of the SDG targets are on track to be met globally by 2030, notable progress has been made in areas such as mobile broadband use, internet access, electricity availability, and reductions in child and neonatal mortality. East and South Asia have shown the most rapid regional gains since 2015, with countries like Nepal, Bangladesh, Cambodia, and Mongolia improving significantly.
However, the report also flagged key areas of concern worldwide, including rising obesity rates, declining press freedom, worsening corruption perceptions, and setbacks in biodiversity protection. The United States, which has distanced itself from the SDGs and the Paris Climate Agreement in recent years, was ranked last for the second consecutive time.
The report also draws attention to financial disparities in global development, stating that the current global financial architecture disproportionately favors wealthy nations. With the upcoming International Conference on Financing for Development (June 30–July 3) in Seville, the report urges a restructuring of capital flows to ensure emerging and developing economies receive the investment needed to meet their development goals.
