Introduction

In June 2026, the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) published the Sustainable Development Report (SDR) 2026, which is the 11th edition of the annual report that assesses global progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The report reviews the progress being made in the fulfilment of the 17 SDGs by all the 193 UN member states. Among these, 169 have been rated in the SDG Index 2026, depending on the availability of data.

In the global SDG Index 2026, India was ranked 94th, thus gaining its highest-ever ranking in the index. India scored 68.3 out of 100 in 2026, rising from its 99th rank in SDR 2025.

What is SDR?

The Sustainable Development Report (SDR) provides the most up-to-date assessment of progress made by countries of the United Nations towards achieving the SDGs. It is released annually by the SDSN. The performance of 169 ranked countries is assessed with the help of a comprehensive set of indicators that cover all the 17 SDGs.

Key Findings of SDR 2026

Some major findings of the SDR 2026 are as follows:

• According to the report, global progress towards the SDGs remains inadequate and uneven despite significant gains since 2015, when the SDGs were adopted. Now, billions of people across the world have access to safe drinking water, electricity, advanced healthcare facilities, and other essential services. Nevertheless, the progress remains insufficient to achieve the 2030 Agenda, requiring accelerated implementation and stronger international cooperation.
• As per the report, the greatest progress on the SDGs has been made in East and South Asian countries since 2015. India’s progress is +18 places and China’s progress is +14 places. Thus, these countries have been reported to have made the largest improvements among major economies of the world.
• The progress made on SDGs by the UN member states has not been much satisfactory. It is estimated that merely 16 per cent of SDG targets are projected to be achieved by 2030. Most UN member states strongly remain committed to the SDG framework. In 2025, 170 out of 193 UN member states supported the UN General Assembly resolutions referencing sustainable development.
• The report further highlights important improvements in health outcomes, stating a decline of 30 per cent in new HIV infections and a decline of 35 per cent in AIDS-related deaths since 2015.
• Some 92 per cent of the total population of the world’s total population has adequate access to electricity. Access to the Internet has also been increased up to 74 per cent, compared with only 40 per cent previously.
• Another major development is that more than 50 per cent of total world’s population has social protection benefits, though major gaps remain, particularly in developing countries.
• By 2030, most regions are expected to be close to eradicating extreme poverty; barring some regions such as the Middle East, Sub-Saharan Africa, Oceania (other than New Zealand and Australia), and North Africa.
• It was further reported that 99 legal reforms were enacted between 2019 and 2025, with the objective of setting-up gender-equality frameworks and removing discriminatory laws. Currently, 27.4 per cent of total seats in Parliament are held by women. In 2015, women held only 22.3 per cent of such seats.
• The report states that from 2020 to 2024, there was a decline in child labour by over 20 million.
• There was 4.9 per cent of global unemployment in 2025, which was an all-time low.
• From 2023 to 2024, there was a historic 14 per cent increase in renewable electricity-generating capacity per capita. Currently, this capacity has been increased by 2.2 times of its level in 2015.
• As per the report, better implementation and stronger governance are the need of the hour, considering that the world is moving into the final years of the 2030 Agenda.

Challenges as per the SDR 2026

As per the SDR 2026, the world needs to address the following major challenges:

• It is estimated that by the end of 2026, the rate of global extreme poverty will decline to 10 per cent, which is just three points below its level in 2015. However, it remains far short of the goal of eradicating extreme poverty.
• As per the report, an estimated 1.16 billion people worldwide still inhabit the slum areas or informal settlements, highlighting the continuing global housing challenge.
• Around 273 million children and young people cannot attend school. One in five young people aged 15–24 is not in education, employment or training. Moreover, there are higher chances of younger generation being unemployed nearly four times, compared to adults.
• By June 2025, the population of global refugees had reached 440 per 100,000 people. This is more than twice the level recorded in the previous decade.
• Several species groups are under threat of extinction. Also, only 45 per cent of all key biodiversity areas have been under protection as of 2025.
• In 2025, global temperatures reached 1.43 °C above the pre-industrial levels. Further, the concentration levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere reached its all-time high in two million years.
• In 2024, low- and middle-level income countries had a historic US$ 8.9 trillion in external debt, further constraining the resources available for sustainable development.

India’s Performance as per SDR 2026

Though India has attained a position (94th) among the top 100 countries in the global UN SDG Index 2026, it has still not succeeded in surpassing its four South-Asian neighbours, namely, Nepal (90th), Bhutan (73rd), Sri Lanka (92nd) and the Maldives (63rd).

According to the report, for India, seven out of the 17 SDGs have been extremely complicated to deal with. These include SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), SDG 5 (Gender Equality), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), SDG 14 (Life below Water), SDG 15 (Life on Land) and SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions).

In addition, there are six other goals where significant challenges remain for India. These include SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).

However, India has made significant progress in certain SDGs—SDG 7 and SDG 9. That is, there has been considerable expansion in electricity access, mobile broadband subscription, and Internet use.

Nevertheless, India is not in a position to achieve all the 2030 SDGs. It is estimated that by 2030, India will be able to meet only 33.3 per cent of the targets. 42.7 per cent of the targets show limited or moderate progress, while the remaining 24 per cent of the targets have deteriorated, and the situation has been aggravated.

Challenges Faced by India

At present, one of the most serious challenges that India faces is SDG-2, i.e., Zero Hunger. As per the report, India faces major challenges towards achieving Zero Hunger. Child stunting remains a cause of concern, as 29.3 per cent of children below five years of age are reported to have stunted growth. The report further states that child wasting is a more severe issue. In 2020, it increased to 18.7 per cent; while in 2017, it was 16.9 per cent. Besides, undernourished people in India accounted for 12 per cent in 2023, which is also a cause of concern.

SDGs on Health, Climate Action, and Peace and Justice have also been a pressing issue for India. As per the report, the mortality rate due to air pollution has increased from 131.72 per 100,000 population in 2019 to 132 per 100,000 in 2023. Similarly, there has been an increment in mortality rate owing to diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and chronic lung disease. In 2015, it was 22.6 per cent, while in 2021, it was 23.6 per cent.

Further, there has been a constant rise in per-capita CO₂ emissions due to the combustion of fossil fuel and production of cement. Since the adoption of SDGs, per capita emissions have been recorded the highest, i.e., 2.21 tonnes in 2023. However, earlier in 2015, it was 1.69 tonnes.

Besides, indicators such as Corruption Perceptions Index and Press Freedom Index under SDG 16 are also challenging for India. Since 2015, Press Freedom Index has been on a decline, with 31.96 in 2026 as compared to 59.51 in 2015.    

Conclusion

There has been a steady improvement in India’s rankings in the global SDG Index. However, it is vital that India takes necessary measures to achieve success on the SDGs, particularly Hunger, Climate Action, Health, and Governance. This will be beneficial for the country as well as for global sustainable development.

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