Is the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) index an adequate framework to measure the progress of the 2030 Agenda?

Abstract

Abstract Under the consideration of different measures adopted by most United Nations (UN) members, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) included in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development aim to address the main challenges related to social, economic and environmental issues. Numerous single indicators have been established to monitor progress toward sustainable development; however, the need for benchmarking the degree of sustainability of countries triggered the creation of the SDG Index, which originally compiled 77 indicators and has evolved to 99 at present. This research analyzes the suitability of applying this composite index for assessing the fulfillment of the 2030 Agenda. The lack of information resulted in 60% of the SDG indicators being disregarded in the SDG Index. The scores obtained through the application of this index clustered UN countries according to specific geographic areas, highlighting the need for developing regional SDG Indices to emphasize the achievement of lower‐performing goals.