Bangladesh and Afghanistan are among the three nations which have progressed the most on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) index score since the adoption of the 2030 global agenda in 2015, according to the Sustainable Development Report 2021.

The two South Asian nations were joined by Cote d'Ivoire from Africa in the rank of nations to advanced the most, The Daily Star reported.

In the report, Bangladesh has been ranked 109th with an overall score of 63.5 in the 2021 SDG index.

Among the other South Asian nations, Bhutan (70) is in 75th position, Maldives (69.3) in 79th, Sri Lanka (68.1) in 87th, Nepal (66.5) in 96th, India (60.1) in 120th, Pakistan (57.7) in 129th, and Afghanistan (53.9) in 137th position.

The report was launched on Monday by the Sustainable Development Solution Network (SDSN).

The report said East and South Asia has progressed more on the SDGs than any other region, both since 2010 and since the adoption of the goals in 2015, The Daily Star reported.

By contrast, the three countries that have declined the most are Venezuela, Tuvalu and Brazil.

However, the global average SDG index score has decreased for the first time since the adoption of the SDGs in 2015. The global decline in performance, including in OECD countries, was driven to a large extent by increased poverty rates and unemployment in 2020.

Finland has been ranked first with an 85.9 score.

(SAM)