SDG Index 2025: Bangladesh only ahead of Pakistan, Afghanistan in South Asia
It ranks 114th out of 167 nations globally
Bangladesh has been placed among the bottom three South Asian countries in the 2025 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Index, ranking 114th out of 167 nations globally with a score of 63.9 out of 100.
The index has positioned Bangladesh ahead of only Pakistan and Afghanistan in South Asia, according to the Sustainable Development Report 2025 released today (24 June).
Moreover, Bangladesh has been on track or maintaining progress in only 20.8% of the SDG targets over the past decade, with the remaining targets yet to be achieved by the next five years.
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Released by the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, the 10th edition of the report shows that Bangladesh has made limited progress on 44.2% of the targets, while 35.1% are worsening.
Within South Asia, the Maldives secured the top regional spot, ranking 53rd globally, followed by Bhutan (74th) and Nepal (85th). Sri Lanka and India ranked 93rd and 99th, respectively.
Afghanistan ranked the lowest in South Asia at 160th, followed by Pakistan at 140th.
Due to changes in the indicators and refinements in the methodology, SDG Index rankings and scores from one edition cannot be compared with the results from previous editions.
The SDG Index score is presented on a scale of 0 to 100 and can be interpreted as a percentage towards optimal performance on the SDGs.
Progress on headline SDG indicators
Bangladesh has made progress of 8.3 percentage points since 2015 in the 17 headline SDG indicators.
The country has already achieved only one SDG – climate action – out of the 17 development goals.
However, the country is not on track or maintaining SDG achievement in any of the 17 goals.
The country has been moderately improving in achieving six goals: No poverty; zero hunger; good health and well-being; quality education, clean water and sanitation; and affordable and clean energy.
Conversely, Bangladesh's position is stagnating in achieving nine goals: Gender equality; decent work and economic growth; industry innovation and infrastructure; reduced inequalities; responsible consumption and production; climate action; life below water; life on land; and partnership for the goals.
Sustainable cities and communities and peace, justice, and strong institutions are the only goals for which Bangladesh's efforts to reach them are decreasing.
The report highlights significant and major challenges remaining in achieving these goals.
Overall, 2% of the data is missing in the SDG Index for Bangladesh.
Performance in additional indices
In addition to the SDG Index, this report includes an index of countries' support for UN-based multilateralism, covering all 193 UN member states, where zero corresponds to low support and 100 to high support for UN-based multilateralism. Bangladesh ranks 57th with a score of 72.7.
The report also features an "International Spillover Index," which tracks the impacts of a given country's actions on other countries' abilities to achieve the SDGs. Bangladesh scored 96.3 out of 100, where a higher score means that a country causes more positive and fewer negative spillover effects.
Global perspective
Globally, Nordic countries continue to lead in SDG achievement, with Finland ranking first, followed by Sweden, Denmark, Germany, and France, with 19 of the top 20 countries in Europe.
East and South Asia collectively stand out as the region with the most SDG progress since 2015.
"At the global level, none of the 17 goals are currently on course to be achieved by 2030. Conflicts, structural vulnerabilities, and limited fiscal space impede SDG progress in many parts of the world," reads the report.
The report also states, "Based on the rate of progress since they were adopted by the international community in 2015, none of the 17 SDGs will be achieved by 2030."
Professor Jeffrey D Sachs, president of the SDSN and a lead author of the report, said: "Amid rising geopolitical tensions, widening global inequalities, and the escalating climate crisis, this year's SDR underscores that the world overwhelmingly recognizes the Sustainable Development Goals as the vital pathway to peace, equity, and well-being."
He added, "Many countries are making significant progress, but much more can be accomplished through stepped-up investments in education, green technologies, and digital solutions. Above all, we need peace and global cooperation to achieve the SDGs."
