The Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) and the Bertelsmann Stiftung launched a new Sustainable Development Goal Index and Dashboard to provide a report card for tracking Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) progress and ensuring accountability.
The index collected available data for 149 countries to assess where each country stands in 2016 with regard to achieving the SDGs.
It ranks countries based on their performance across the 17 global goals, a set of ambitious objectives across the three dimensions of sustainable development - economic development, social inclusion and environmental sustainability, underpinned by good governance.
"The Sustainable Development Goals are stretch goals, but they are within reach if countries work towards them with clarity and determination. The SDG Index and Dashboard can help each country to chart out a practical path for achieving the Goals," said SDSN Director Jeffrey Sachs.
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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 Norway on the top three performing countries.
India ranks 110th on the list followed by Lesotho on 113th position, Pakistan (115), Myanmar (117), Bangladesh (118) and Afghanistan (139).
Poor and developing countries understandably score lowest on the SDG Index as they often have comparably little resources at their disposal.
The Central African Republic and Liberia are at the bottom of the Index and still have the longest way to go in achieving the SDGs.