Are we on track to achieve Sustainable Development Goals 2030

Between 2019 and 2022, India’s SDG performance had a setback compared to global trends. In 2023, there was a reversal. However, India’s 109th rank out of 167 countries in 2024, is a matter of concern. India falls behind the global average in nine out of 16 SDGs (SDG 17 is excluded due to the lack of sufficient data). Moreover, only four out of the 15 SDGs have been at least half-achieved by all 36 states and union territories.

There are significant gaps in the SDG framework in India with several indicators not being measured. Some of these have deal with eradication of extreme poverty, direct capture of water quality, carbon dioxide emissions from fuel combustion per total electricity output, parameters on air quality and public transport, and several others.

Populous states like Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan are amongst 16 states and union territories which have fulfilled less than half of the target in 30-43 per cent of SDG indicators.

The report states that to realise a dignified life to the citizens, there are five SDGs that need to be ensured: No Poverty, Zero Hunger, Good Health and Well-being, Quality Education and Decent Work and Economic Growth. Less than 65 per cent of targets in these SDGs have been reached by 10 states and one union territory, home to 51 per cent of India’s population.

The SDGs of Gender Equality; Reduced Inequalities; and Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions are necessary to guarantee a fairer society for citizens. Las many as 13 states and two union territories – making up around half of the country’s population – have achieved less than 65 per cent of the targets.

For a healthier planet, Climate Action, Life on Land, and Life Below Water are the SDGs to aim for. Life Below Water could not be included into this report due to a lack of data. As many as six states and five union territories in the country (accounting for 41 per cent of the population) met less than 65 per cent of the targets for the remaining two SDGs.

The report also states that better infrastructure for citizens can be assured by fulfilling five key SDGs – Clean Water and Sanitation; Affordable and Clean Energy; Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure; Sustainable Cities and Communities; and Responsible Consumption and Production. However, three states and one union territory, all in the Himalayan region, are yet to achieve even 65 per cent of the targets under these categories.

SDG 1 (No Poverty) is the only goal which India seems to be on track to achieving by 2030, the report notes. The country has made progress in reducing multidimensional poverty but allied schemes aiming to provide coverage of insurance and social protection benefits have not proved adequate yet. And India has removed the ‘eradication of extreme poverty’ indicator (people living on less than 1.25 US dollars per day) from its 2023-24 assessment. This could skew data.

In SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), India’s performance has been stagnating. Under the National Food Security Act, it has tried to expand the subsidy of food and grains, but on malnutrition indicators, it falls behind. The report mentions that 32.1 per cent of children under the age five are underweight in the country – still a long way from the goal of around 13.3 per cent by 2030.

For SDG 4 (Quality Education) the enrolment rate in higher secondary education in India is at 58 per cent when the target is 100; and for higher education the enrolment rate is 28.4 per cent against the target of 50.

India’s performance in SDG 5 (Gender Equality) is the worst among all SDGs. The country’s sex ratio at birth is still at 929 females per 1,000 males, and spousal violence affects 29.2 per cent of married women. Women’s economic empowerment has also lagged behind.

India's move towards attaining SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation) has been fairly positive. From open defecation-free status to making improved sources of drinking water available in rural areas, improvement has been noted in all states, except Rajasthan which has not yet achieved 65 per cent of the targets. However, there is a caveat to this achievement, since it fails to capture the actual quality of water provided. This is especially alarming since India accounts for 41 per cent of all global deaths caused by enteric diseases, that is, diseases caused by contaminated water and food.

In SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities), India's performance in recent years has been dormant. Although 45.61 per cent of seats held by women in Panchayati Raj institutions against the target of 33 per cent shows a positive turn, the ratio of female to male workers in professional and technical roles is still only 50.4 per cent. Besides, crimes against Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) are still extremely high at the rates of 28.6 and 9.6 per 100,000 of their respective populations.

The report mentions that India's sensitivity and readiness towards SDG 13 (Climate Action) has gaps in it. For example, the country’s disaster preparedness score is 19.2 much lower than the 2030 target of 50. Moreover, India's DALY (Disability Adjusted Life Years) rate – which is a measure of overall disease burden, representing years lost due to ill-health, disability or early death – attributable to air pollution comes to around 3,469 per 100,000 population. That is almost three times than the 2030 target of 1,442.

There were significant flaws in India’s performance in SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions). The country had high rates of crime against children (37 per 100,000 population) and there were around four victims of human trafficking per 100,000 population. The country also recorded inadequate judicial infrastructure, with only two courts per 100,000 population instead of the 2030 target of 4.25. Moreover, the Press Freedom Index, which measures media freedom and democratic health of a country, has been disregarded as part of the SDG indicators in India.

Focus and Factoids by Soumita Saha.

PARI Library's health archive project is part of an initiative supported by the Azim Premji University to develop a free-access repository of health-related reports relevant to rural India.