Finland Tops Sustainable Development Report 2025; India Enters Top 100 for the First Time.
International
In June 2025, the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) released its 10th Sustainable Development Report, revealing Finland as the highest-ranked country. For the first time ever, India secured a place in the top 100—achieving 99th rank with a score of 66.95.
- Finland leads the global SDG Index for 2025 with a score of 87.02, followed closely by Sweden (85.74) and Denmark (85.26). Of the top 20 nations, 19 are European, highlighting the region’s continued dominance despite ecological challenges.
- In a notable improvement, India jumped from 109th in 2024 to 99th in 2025 among 193 UN member states. With a score of 66.95, this marks India’s first appearance in the top 100—a milestone driven by strengthened performance in energy access, sanitation, and healthcare.
- Among India’s neighbours, Bhutan ranks 74th (70.5), Nepal 85th (68.6), Maldives 53rd, Sri Lanka 93rd, Bangladesh 114th, and Pakistan 140th, illustrating regional disparities in SDG progress.
Main Point :- (i) The report highlights that only 17% of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are currently on track at the global level. Critical areas such as climate action, biodiversity preservation, press freedom, and the fight against obesity are significantly lagging behind. However, the most notable progress has been observed in essential services, particularly in universal access to electricity (SDG 7), improved healthcare systems (SDG 3), and digital connectivity and infrastructure (SDG 9).
(ii) East and South Asia lead global SDG improvements since 2015, with Nepal (+11.1 points), Cambodia (+10), Philippines (+8.6), Bangladesh (+8.3), and Mongolia (+7.7) registering significant gains. This reflects sustained socioeconomic advancement.
(iii) Ahead of the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4) in Seville (30 June–3 July 2025), the report urges reforms in the Global Financial Architecture to redirect capital towards emerging economies, enhancing their ability to meet SDG targets.
About Finland
Capital: Helsinki
Prime minister: Petteri Orpo
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