In a proud milestone, India has entered the top 100 nations in the world for progress toward the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), ranking 99th out of 193 countries in the 2025 SDG Index. This is the first time India has secured a place in the top 100 since the UN launched the goals in 2015.
According to the 10th Sustainable Development Report by the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, India scored 67 points, showing remarkable gains in areas such as access to electricity, internet use, and neonatal care.
How India Stacks Up:
India: Rank 99 (Score: 67)
China: Rank 49 (Score: 74.4)
USA: Rank 44 (Score: 75.2)
Bhutan: Rank 74
Nepal: Rank 85
Pakistan: Rank 140
The report underscores that while global SDG progress has stalled, South Asia and East Asia have outperformed other regions due to rapid development and better access to basic infrastructure.
Global Setbacks Remain:
The report warns that only 17% of SDG targets are on track globally by 2030. Setbacks include rising obesity, declining press freedom, and increasing corruption perceptions.
Lead author and economist Jeffrey Sachs called for urgent reforms to the global financial architecture, saying capital must flow more freely to emerging economies like India for equitable development.