1 | socialprogress.org
2020
Social Progress
Index
2 | socialprogress.org
The Social Progress Index asks universally important
questions about the success of our societies
SOCIAL PROGRESS INDEX
FOUNDATIONS OF WELLBEINGBASIC HUMAN NEEDS OPPORTUNITY
Nutrition & Basic Medical Care Access to Knowledge Personal Rights
Personal Freedom & Choice
Inclusiveness
Access to Advanced Education
Water & Sanitation Access to Information & Communications
Health & Wellness
Enviromental Quality
Shelter
Personal Safety
Do people have enough food to eat and
are they receiving basic medical care?
Do people have access to an
educational foundation?
Are people’s rights as individuals
protected?
Do people feel safe?
Can people drink water and keep
themselves clen without getting sick?
Can people freely access ideas and
information from anywhere in the world?
Are people free to make their own life
choices?
Do people live long and healthy lives? Is no one excluded from the opportunity to
be a contributing member of society?
Do people have access to the world’s most
advanced knowledge?
Is this society using its resources so they will
be available for future generations?
Do people have adequate housing with
basic utilities?
www.socialprogress.org
3 | socialprogress.org
The 2020 Social Progress Index aggregates 50 social
and environmental outcome indicators from 163 countries
SOCIAL PROGRESS INDEX
FOUNDATIONS OF WELLBEINGBASIC HUMAN NEEDS OPPORTUNITY
Nutrition & Basic Medical Care Access to Knowledge Personal Rights
Personal Freedom & Choice
Inclusiveness
Access to Advanced Education
Water & Sanitation Access to Information & Communications
Health & Wellness
Enviromental Quality
Shelter
Personal Safety
Undernourishment
Maternal mortality rate
Child mortality rate
Child stunting
Deaths from infectious diseases
Women with no schooling
Primary school enrollment
Secondary school attainment
Gender parity in secondary attainment
Access to quality education
Political rights
Freedom of expression
Freedom of religion
Access to justice
Property rights for women
Homicide rate
Perceived criminality
Political killings and torture
Traffic deaths
Deaths attributable to unsafe water, sanitation and hygiene
Populations using unsafe or unimproved water sources
Populations using unsafe or unimproved sanitation (%)
Mobile telephone subscriptions
Internet users
Access to online governance
Media censorship
Vulnerable employment
Early marriage
Satisfied demand for contraception
Corruption
Life expectancy at 60
Premature deaths from non-communicable diseases
Access to essential services
Access to quality healthcare
Acceptance of gays and lesbians
Discrimination and violence against minorities
Equality of political power by gender
Equality of political power by socioeconomic position
Equality of political power by social group
Expected years of tertiary education
Women with advanced education
Quality weighted universities
Citable documents
Outdoor air pollution attributable deaths
Greenhouse gas emissions
Particulate matter
Biome protection
Access to electricity
Household air pollution attributable deaths
Usage of clean fuels and technology for cooking
www.socialprogress.org
4 | socialprogress.org
2020 Social Progress Index results2020 Social Progress Index
Tier 1 Tier 2 Tier 3 Tier 4 Tier 5 Tier 6 Data Unavailable
Tier 1
Tier 2
Tier 3
Tier 4
Tier 5
Tier 6
Data unavailable
5 | socialprogress.org
Rank Country Score
66 Bosnia and Herzegovina 72.74
67 Kazakhstan 72.66
68 Moldova 72.58
69 Russia 72.56
70 Paraguay 72.48
71 Cabo Verde 72.05
Tier 1
Rank Country Score
1 Norway 92.73
2 Denmark 92.11
3 Finland 91.89
4 New Zealand 91.64
5 Sweden 91.62
6 Switzerland 91.42
7 Canada 91.40
8 Australia 91.29
9 Iceland 91.09
10 Netherlands 91.06
11 Germany 90.56
12 Ireland 90.35
13 Japan 90.14
Tier 2
Rank Country Score
14 Luxembourg 89.56
15 Austria 89.50
16 Belgium 89.46
17 Korea, Republic of 89.06
18 France 88.78
19 Spain 88.71
20 United Kingdom 88.54
21 Portugal 87.79
22 Slovenia 87.71
23 Italy 87.36
24 Estonia 87.26
25 Czechia 86.69
26 Cyprus 86.64
27 Greece 85.78
28 United States 85.71
29 Singapore 85.46
30 Malta 84.89
31 Poland 84.32
32 Lithuania 83.97
33 Israel 83.62
34 Chile 83.34
35 Latvia 83.19
36 Slovakia 83.15
37 Costa Rica 83.01
38 Uruguay 82.99
Tier 3
Rank Country Score
39 Croatia 81.92
40 Hungary 81.02
41 Argentina 80.66
42 Barbados 80.50
43 Bulgaria 79.86
44 Mauritius 78.96
45 Romania 78.35
46 Kuwait 77.47
47 Belarus 77.00
48 Malaysia 76.96
49 Panama 76.55
50 Armenia 76.46
51 Trinidad and Tobago 76.33
52 Serbia 75.54
53 Ecuador 75.45
54 Albania 75.41
55 Tunisia 75.02
56 Georgia 74.85
57 Jamaica 74.75
58 Montenegro 74.42
59 Peru 74.22
60 Colombia 74.00
61 Brazil 73.91
62 Mexico 73.52
63 Ukraine 73.38
64 Sri Lanka 73.20
65 Republic of North Macedonia 73.16
2020 Social Progress Index rankings (1)
6 | socialprogress.org
Tier 4
Rank Country Score
72 Cuba 71.52
73 Jordan 71.50
74 Oman 71.41
75 Suriname 71.12
76 Mongolia 71.07
77 Dominican Republic 71.05
78 Maldives 70.81
79 Thailand 70.72
80 United Arab Emirates 70.60
81 Qatar 70.58
82 South Africa 70.26
83 Algeria 69.92
84 Indonesia 69.49
85 Lebanon 69.37
86 Botswana 69.36
87 Bolivia 69.23
88 Vietnam 68.85
89 Kyrgyzstan 68.65
90 Fiji 68.42
91 Bhutan 68.34
92 Turkey 68.27
93 Iran 67.49
94 El Salvador 67.25
95 Namibia 67.14
96 Guyana 66.95
97 Morocco 66.90
98 Philippines 66.62
Rank Country Score
99 Bahrain 66.60
100 China 66.12
101 Saudi Arabia 65.06
102 Uzbekistan 64.98
103 Ghana 64.86
104 Azerbaijan 64.11
105 Nicaragua 64.02
106 Gabon 63.93
107 Iraq 63.52
Tier 5
Rank Country Score
108 Honduras 62.41
109 Guatemala 61.67
110 Timor-Leste 61.08
111 Senegal 60.04
112 Egypt 59.98
113 Turkmenistan 58.35
114 Nepal 57.60
115 Kenya 57.10
116 Tajikistan 56.99
117 India 56.80
118 Cambodia 56.27
119 Tanzania 56.20
120 Myanmar 55.99
121 Benin 55.56
122 Zambia 55.34
123 Bangladesh 55.23
124 Gambia, The 55.10
125 Rwanda 54.13
126 Malawi 54.07
127 Lesotho 53.80
128 Côte d'Ivoire 53.59
129 Togo 53.05
130 Uganda 52.98
131 Eswatini 52.92
132 Zimbabwe 52.26
133 Laos 51.80
134 Sierra Leone 51.74
135 Liberia 51.37
136 Nigeria 51.31
137 Cameroon 51.29
Tier 6
Rank Country Score
138 Equatorial Guinea 50.08
139 Korea, Democratic Republic of 50.01
140 Burkina Faso 49.87
141 Pakistan 49.25
142 Mozambique 49.00
143 Mauritania 48.95
144 Haiti 48.79
145 Ethiopia 48.59
146 Djibouti 48.53
147 Sudan 48.51
148 Madagascar 48.46
149 Congo, Republic of 48.45
150 Mali 48.29
151 Angola 48.16
152 Guinea-Bissau 46.69
153 Papua New Guinea 44.91
154 Guinea 43.41
155 Afghanistan 42.29
156 Congo, Democratic Republic of 42.25
157 Niger 42.21
158 Burundi 41.20
159 Somalia 35.58
160 Eritrea 35.20
161 Central African Republic 31.62
162 Chad 31.29
163 South Sudan 31.06
2020 Social Progress Index rankings (2)
7 | socialprogress.org
On average, the world is improving…but progress
is slow and uneven
2020: 64.242011: 60.63
Since 2011, the population-weighted world average
score has improved by 3.61 points.
Since 2011, 155 countries (95% of those measured) have
improved by one point or more. Three countries (2%) have
declined. Of the 155 countries that improved, 69 countries
(42%) have improved by five or more points.
8 | socialprogress.org
On average, the world is improving…but progress
is slow and uneven
9 | socialprogress.org
From 2011 to 2020 the world improved
on 8 of 12 components
Since 2011, the world has
improved most on Access to
Information and
Communications, Access to
Advanced Education,
Shelter and Water and
Sanitation.
World progress has been
uneven, with declines in
Personal Rights and
Inclusiveness, and
stagnation on Personal
Safety and Environmental
Quality.
10 | socialprogress.org
SocialProgressIndexScore
GDP PPP per capita (in USD)
GDP is not destiny Across the spectrum, we
see how some countries are
much better at turning
their economic growth
into social progress than
others.
11 | socialprogress.org
Comparing national performance
§ The Social Progress Index disentangles the social and economic aspects of
countries’ performance, making it possible to compare a state’s quality of life
to that of its economic peers.
§ We define a country’s economic peers as the 15 countries closest in GDP per
capita PPP.
§ By analyzing a country’s performance relative to its economic peers, we can
uncover which countries are best at turning each dollar of income into better
social outcomes.
§ We can also analyze the world’s performance relative to its wealth by
comparing its scores to the 15 countries closest in GDP to the global average.
12 | socialprogress.org
Just 13 countries over-perform on social progress
relative to their incomes, while 35 countries are
underperformers.
Kyrgyzstan and Ghana over-perform by the greatest
margin, while Saudi Arabia and Equatorial Guinea are
the biggest underperformers.
13 | socialprogress.org
Over- and underperformers on social progress
14 | socialprogress.org
WORLD
Social Progress Index
GDP per Capita PPP
64.24/100
$ 16,523.04
Score/Value
Score/
Value
Score/
Value
Score/
Value
Strength/Weakness
Strength/
Weakness
Strength/
Weakness
Strength/
WeaknessBASIC HUMAN NEEDS OPPORTUNITYFOUNDATIONS OF WELLBEING
Nutrition & Basic
Medical Care
Access to Basic Knowledge Personal Rights
Personal Freedom & Choice
Inclusiveness
Access to Information
& Communications
Health and Wellness
Enviromental Quality
Water & Sanitation
Shelter
Personal Safety
Comparing Countries
Notes
Key
Undernourishment (% of pop.)
Women with no schooling Political rights
(0=no rights; 40=full rights)
Vulnerable employment
(% of employees)
Satisfied demand for contraception
(% of women)
Corruption (0=high; 100=low)
Freedom of religion
(0=no freedom; 4=full freedom)
Discrimination and violence against
minorities (0=low; 10=high)
Quality weighted universities (points)
Citable documents
Equality of political power by
socioeconomic position (0=unequal
power; 4=equal power)
Equality of political power by social
group (0=unequal power; 4=equal
power)
Access to justice
(0=non-existent; 1=observed)
Property rights for women
(0=no right; 5=full rights)
Freedom of expression
(0=no freedom; 1=full freedom)
Early marriage (% of women)
Acceptance of gays and lesbians
(0=low; 100=high)
Expected years of tertiary education
Women with advanced education (%)
Equality of political power by gender
(0=unequal power; 4=equal power)
Life expectancy at 60 (years)
Access to online governance
(0=low; 1=high)
Internet users (% of pop)
Premature deaths from noncommunicable
diseases
(deaths/100,000)
Outdoor air pollution attributable
deaths (deaths/100,000)
Greenhouse gas emissions (total
CO2 equivalents)
Particulate matter
Biome protection
Access to essential services
(0=none; 100=full coverage)
Access to quality healthcare
(0=unequal; 4=equal)
Media censorship (0=frequent;
4=rare)
Mobile telephone subscriptions
(subscriptions/100 people)
Primary school enrollment
(% of children)
Secondary school attainment
(% of population)
Gender parity in secondary
attainment (distance from parity)
Access to quality education
(0=unequal; 4=equal)
Deaths attributable to unsafe water,
sanitation and hygiene (per 100,000
pop.)
Maternal mortality rate
(deaths/100,000 live births)
Populations using unsafe or
unimproved water sources (%)
Household air pollution attributable
deaths (deaths/100,000)
Usage of clean fuels and technology
for cooking (% of pop.)
Access to electricity (% of pop.)
Homicide rate (deaths/100,000)
Perceived criminality (1=low; 5=high)
Political killings and torture
(0=low freedom; 1=high freedom)
Traffic deaths (deaths/100,000)
Populations using unsafe or
unimproved sanitation (%)
Child stunting (% of children)
Deaths from infectious diseases
(deaths/100,000)
84.63
75.18 60.09
63.24
39.25
70.33
60.88
36.87
74.72
77.09
62.15
9.10
0.11
19.87
46.76
73.86
40.76
2.32
7.32
223.07
0.50
1.69
1.69
0.58
3.89
0.51
10.72
0.33
2.04
0.54
1.77
20.14
0.76
50.59
386.51
42.20
3458.23
45.80
8.20
69.28
1.63
1.75
104.46
93.94
61.97
0.19
1.60
29.64
27.99
33.07
63.64
61.98
89.41
5.83
3.63
0.55
16.41
28.36
21.88
134.02
74.65 57.2560.82
Over-and underperfomance is relative to 15 counties of similar GDP per capita Overperforming by 1 or more pts.
Underperforming by 1 or more pts.
No data available.Performing within the expected range
Overperforming by less than 1 pt.
Underperforming by less than 1 pt.
Suriname, Republic of North Macedonia, Barbados, Serbia, Botswana, Lebanon, Dominican Republic,
China, Thailand, Gabon, Turkmenistan, Brazil, Maldives, Iran, Colombia
1. On some components and indicators, there are more ranked countries than the number of
countries for which a full index score could be calculated.
2. Overall index, component and dimension scores are on a 0-100 scale; indicators scores are raw
values.
Access to
Advanced Education 66.42
Child mortality rate
(deaths/1,000 live births)
99.37
15 | socialprogress.org
The world underperforms
relative to its income on 7
components.
The world lags most on
Water and Sanitation and
Personal Rights.
Degree of world underperformance
Water and Sanitation
Personal
Safety
Health and
Wellness
Access to Basic
Knowledge
Shelter
Nutrition and Basic Medical Care
Personal Rights
16 | socialprogress.org
UNITED STATES
Social Progress Index
GDP per Capita PPP
85.71/100 28/163
$62,683 8/163
Score/Value
Score/
Value
Score/
Value
Score/
Value
Rank
Rank RankRank
Strength/Weakness
Strength/
Weakness
Strength/
Weakness
Strength/
WeaknessBASIC HUMAN NEEDS OPPORTUNITYFOUNDATIONS OF WELLBEING
Nutrition & Basic
Medical Care
Access to Basic Knowledge Personal Rights
Personal Freedom & Choice
Inclusiveness
Access to Information
& Communications
Health and Wellness
Enviromental Quality
Water & Sanitation
Shelter
Personal Safety
Comparing Countries
Notes
Key
Undernourishment (% of pop.)
Women with no schooling Political rights
(0=no rights; 40=full rights)
Vulnerable employment
(% of employees)
Satisfied demand for contraception
(% of women)
Corruption (0=high; 100=low)
Freedom of religion
(0=no freedom; 4=full freedom)
Discrimination and violence against
minorities (0=low; 10=high)
Quality weighted universities (points)
Citable documents
Equality of political power by
socioeconomic position (0=unequal
power; 4=equal power)
Equality of political power by social
group (0=unequal power; 4=equal
power)
Access to justice
(0=non-existent; 1=observed)
Property rights for women
(0=no right; 5=full rights)
Freedom of expression
(0=no freedom; 1=full freedom)
Early marriage (% of women)
Acceptance of gays and lesbians
(0=low; 100=high)
Expected years of tertiary education
Women with advanced education (%)
Equality of political power by gender
(0=unequal power; 4=equal power)
Life expectancy at 60 (years)
Access to online governance
(0=low; 1=high)
Internet users (% of pop)
Premature deaths from noncommunicable
diseases
(deaths/100,000)
Outdoor air pollution attributable
deaths (deaths/100,000)
Greenhouse gas emissions (total
CO2 equivalents)
Particulate matter
Biome protection
Access to essential services
(0=none; 100=full coverage)
Access to quality healthcare
(0=unequal; 4=equal)
Media censorship (0=frequent;
4=rare)
Mobile telephone subscriptions
(subscriptions/100 people)
Primary school enrollment
(% of children)
Secondary school attainment
(% of population)
Gender parity in secondary
attainment (distance from parity)
Access to quality education
(0=unequal; 4=equal)
Deaths attributable to unsafe water,
sanitation and hygiene (per 100,000
pop.)
Maternal mortality rate
(deaths/100,000 live births)
Populations using unsafe or
unimproved water sources (%)
Household air pollution attributable
deaths (deaths/100,000)
Usage of clean fuels and technology
for cooking (% of pop.)
Access to electricity (% of pop.)
Homicide rate (deaths/100,000)
Perceived criminality (1=low; 5=high)
Political killings and torture
(0=low freedom; 1=high freedom)
Traffic deaths (deaths/100,000)
Populations using unsafe or
unimproved sanitation (%)
Child stunting (% of children)
Deaths from infectious diseases
(deaths/100,000)
97.61
92.42 90.84
84.96
61.24
93.30
74.66
72.18
98.97
97.93
73.82
2.50
0.00
33.00
3.84
82.40
69.00
3.78
6.20
1072.60
1.85
2.19
2.75
0.93
4.61
0.90
3.40
0.80
4.00
0.90
2.43
23.27
1.00
87.27
282.19
15.04
6510.00
7.24
9.14
88.03
2.04
3.20
129.01
99.61
95.60
0.00
2.23
0.28
6.53
0.32
11.08
95.00
100.00
4.96
3.00
0.91
12.20
2.91
2.32
21.54
92.08 81.8983.14
29
44 36
19
35
11
42
119
24
17
57
1
27
64
8
33
22
32
100
1
30
84
49
25
57
36
50
13
15
22
45
41
1
28
54
28
189
9
122
31
97
45
1
27
24
1
91
35
45
15
17
1
1
95
37
39
76
41
3
42
34 1437
Over-and underperfomance is relative to 15 counties of similar GDP per capita Overperforming by 1 or more pts.
Underperforming by 1 or more pts.
No data available.Performing within the expected range
Overperforming by less than 1 pt.
Underperforming by less than 1 pt.
Norway, Netherlands, Denmark, Iceland, United Arab Emirates, Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Sweden,
Belgium, Kuwait, Australia, Canada, Finland, Saudi Arabia
1. On some components and indicators, there are more ranked countries than the number of
countries for which a full index score could be calculated.
2. Overall index, component and dimension scores are on a 0-100 scale; indicators scores are raw
values.
Access to
Advanced Education 90.53 1
Child mortality rate
(deaths/1,000 live births)
29.34 73
17 | socialprogress.org
United States
United Kingdom
France
Germany
Italy
Canada
Japan
The US is the only G7 country that has gone backwards on social progress. It is also one of only 3
countries where social progress has declined, along with Brazil and Hungary.
-1 0 1 2 3 4 5
G7 social progress 2011-2020
18 | socialprogress.org
US social progress: 2011 to 2020 Since 2011, the United States
has improved most on
Access to Information and
Communications and
Environmental Quality.
There have been significant
declines in Personal Safety,
Personal Rights and
Inclusiveness.
19 | socialprogress.org
The Social Progress Index captures outcomes related to
all 17 Sustainable Development Goals in a simple but
rigorous framework designed for aggregation, making it
an invaluable proxy measure of SDG performance.
20 | socialprogress.org
SOCIAL PROGRESS INDEX
FOUNDATIONS OF WELLBEINGBASIC HUMAN NEEDS OPPORTUNITY
Nutrition & Basic Medical Care Access to Knowledge Personal Rights
Personal Freedom & Choice
Inclusiveness
Access to Advanced Education
Water & Sanitation Access to Information & Communications
Health & Wellness
Enviromental Quality
Shelter
Personal Safety
www.socialprogress.org
The Social Progress Index and the SDGs
21 | socialprogress.org
Based on 2020 Social Progress Index projections, if current trends continue the
world won’t achieve the Sustainable Development Goals 2082 – missing the
2030 target by more than a half-century.
And unless urgent actions are taken, the Covid-19 pandemic and accompanying
economic crisis risk setting social progress in the world back by another decade,
pushing out achieving the SDGs until 2092.
Covid-19 pandemic threatens to set progress against
the Sustainable Development Goals back a full decade
2015 2020 2030 2082 2092
71.50 72.57 76.98 100.00 100.00
www.socialprogress.org
22 | socialprogress.org
Majority across countries hit hardest by the pandemic
prioritize social progress over economic growth
28%
72%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%
Economic growth
Health & wellbeing
47%
53%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%
Economic growth
Social outcomes
Imagining when the Covid-19 pandemic is over…which should your country prioritize more?
More than half still want their country to prioritize social outcomes when the pandemic is over.
7 out of every 10 people prioritize health and wellbeing over GDP during coronavirus crisis.
Thinking about the current situation with Covid-19…which should your country prioritize more?
Poll conducted between July 24 and August 7 2020 in random sample of adults in 13 countries - Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, India, Italy,
Mexico, Peru, South Africa, Spain, Russia, UK and US.
Social Progress Index-Ipsos global poll – July/August 2020
23 | socialprogress.org
Global network of local partners delivering subnational Social Progress Indexes that have
revealed the true state of the society for more than 2.7 billion people across 45+ countries.
From Index to Action to Impact
Delivering local data and insight that is meaningful, relevant and actionable
City of San Jose uses SPI
to map social progress and
skills gaps to reveal key
workforce needs
Government of Paraguay adopted
SPI to set development targets and
allocate budgets to achieve child
nutrition and education goals
European Union regional
SPI provides a roadmap for
policymakers to guide €350 billion+
in EU Cohesion Policy spending
East London Borough of Barking
& Dagenham ward level SPI guides
resource and service allocations,
generating £3 million in annual savings
South Africa provincial
SPI helps unify public and
private sectors to improve the
country’s social outcomes
Coca-Cola and Natura used
SPI to slow rural-to-urban
migration to safeguarding their
supply chains in Brazil’s rainforest
Minsur uses local SPIs
to prioritize investments to
improve social progress in its
mining communities in Peru
Australia state-level SPI
fosters cross-sector
collaboration to address
shared social issues
Canadian bank ATB Financial is
adopting SPI to understand how well
business and government in Alberta
convert resources into social wellbeing
India state and district-level
SPIs developed with government
think tank benchmarks performance
and guides CSR investments
Municipalities of Iceland are using
SPI to localize and implement action
towards the SDGs
Costa Rica uses SPI-based
tool to assist government in
reopening strategies for
cantons and tourist destinations
City-level SPI in
Colombia informs policy
and tracks progress
US city-level SPIs empower
mayors and business leaders
with new insight to prioritize
policies and investments
Youth Progress Index
provides the most comprehensive
analysis on the quality of life of
young people around the world
24 | socialprogress.org
Our partners and supporters
Strategic partners
Major supporters
The Social Progress Imperative is grateful to our many
generous supporters, particularly our Strategic Partners
for their collaboration and critical multi-year support.
Thank you
26 | socialprogress.org
Appendix: Methodology
27 | socialprogress.org
Social Progress Index design principles
28 | socialprogress.org
Social Progress Index indicator selection
What is the source of this indicator?
How old are the data points?
How many geographic regions
does this indicator cover?
SOCIAL PROGRESS INDEX
Widely reputable and the methods
it uses are sound
Reasonably current
95-100% of geographic regions
Most data points are more than
5-10 years old
Fewer than 95% of the geographic
regions in the Index
Unknown, uses biased methods,
or lacks rigorous data collection
29 | socialprogress.org
Componentc = "
!
( wi ∗ indicatori )
Each component is calculated as the weighted
sum of the individual indicators, where the
weights are determined by factor analysis.
Component methodology
30 | socialprogress.org
For each dimension, we calculate
the sum of each of the
components:
The Social Progress Index is the
sum across the three dimensions:
Calculating dimensions and aggregate index
SPI =
1
3
"
d
Dimensiond
Dimensiond =
1
4
"
c
Componentc