India is ranked 116th out of 157 nations on a sustainable development goal (SDG) index, with a score of 58.1, behind countries such as Nepal, Iran, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and China. The new SDG Index, which was launched by Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) and the Bertelsmann Stiftung illustrated that world leaders need to strengthen their joint efforts to realise the 17 global goals. The report further stated that not only does a rising trend of nationalism and protectionism impede the implementation of the goals, but industrialized countries are not serving as role models.
As per the report, the countries which are closest to fulfilling the goals are not the biggest economies but comparably small, developed countries. Sweden tops the chart and is followed by Denmark and Finland. These are the top three performing countries. Among the G7 countries, Germany and the UK are the only G7 countries to be found among the top ten performers. The United States ranks 42nd on the Index, while Russia and China rank 62nd and 71st respectively.
According to the report, one of the greatest obstacles to achieving the global goals for high-income countries are poor performances regarding sustainable consumption and production. It added that all countries that score lowest on electronic-waste generation, for example, are high-income countries.
The SDG Index ranks countries based on their performance across the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, including economic development, environmental sustainability, social inclusion, underpinned by good governance. The index collected available data for 157 countries to assess where each country stands in 2017 with regard to achieving the SDGs. It helps countries identify priorities for early actions and shows that every country faces major challenges in achieving these ambitious goals.
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