Sweden tops list of sustainable development ranking

Scandinavian countries have topped the Global Sustainable Competitiveness Index ( GSCI) 2020 ranking with Sweden leading the way closely followed by Denmark, Iceland and Finland, while Norway is ranked 9.

Sri Lanka has been ranked 59 ahead of India at 135 while Somalia is placed at the bottom of table of 180 countries, according to a report releasing the 2020 rankings. The rankings have been compiled by SolAbility, a Swiss- Korean joint- venture founded in 2005, which is a sustainable intelligence think- tank and management consultancy.

Published since 2012, the GSCI is the most comprehensive ranking of countries currently available. The GSCI measures competitiveness of countries based on 131 measurable, quantitative indicators derived from reliable sources, such as the World Bank, the IMF, and various UN agencies. The 127 indicators are grouped into 5 sub- indexes: Natural Capital, Resource Efficiency & Intensity, Intellectual Capital, Governance Efficiency, and Social Cohesion.

Among the highlights of the 2020 rankings are:

The top 20 are dominated by N o r t h e r n E u ro p e a n countries, including the Baltic states

Of the top 20 nations only one is not European – New Zealand on 11, the UK is ranked 15, Germany 22 The world’s largest economy, the US, is ranked 32. The US ranks particularly low in resource efficiency, but also social capital – potentially undermining the global status of the US in the future.