The 2019- SDG Index and Dashboard Report provides a report card for country performance on the historic Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
It is produced by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) and the Bertelsmann Stiftung.
Highlights
The 2019 Index and Report finds that no country is on track for achieving all 17 goals with major performance gaps even in the top countries on SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), SDG 13 (Climate Action), SDG 14 (Life Below Water) and SDG 15 (Life on Land). Income and wealth inequalities, as well as gaps in health and education outcomes by population groups also remain important policy challenges in developing and developed countries alike.
Top 5 countries – Denmark, Sweden, Finland, France, and Austria.
India has been ranked a low 115th out of 149 countries on Sustainable Development Index (SDI).
High-level Political Commitment to the SDGs is Falling Short of Historic Promises: Out of 43 countries surveyed on SDG implementation efforts, including all G20 countries and countries with a population greater than 100 million, 33 countries have endorsed the SDGs in official statements since January 1st, 2018. Yet in only 18 of them do central budget documents mention the SDGs. This gap between rhetoric and action must be closed.
Trends on Climate (SDG 13) and Biodiversity (SDG 14 and SDG 15) are Alarming: On average, countries obtain their worst scores on SDG 13 (Climate Action), SDG 14 (Life below Water) and SDG 15 (Life on Land). No country has a “green rating” (synonym of SDG achieved) on SDG 14 (Life below Water).
High-income Countries Generate High Environmental and Socio-economic Spillover Effects: International demand for palm oil and other commodities fuels tropical deforestation. Tax havens and banking secrecy undermine other countries’ ability to raise the public revenues needed to finance the SDGs. Tolerance for poor labor standards in international supply chains harms the poor, and particularly women in many developing countries. New evidence presented in this report shows that high-income countries generate negative impacts on fatal accidents at work, typically by importing products and services from low- and middle-income countries with poor labor standards and conditions.
Human Rights and Freedom of Speech are in Danger in Numerous Countries: Conflicts in many parts of the world continue to lead to reversals in SDG progress. Modern slavery and the share of unsentenced detainees in prison remain high, in particular in low-income countries. Trends on corruption and freedom of press are worsening in more than 50 countries covered in the report – including in a number of middle and high-income countries.
