SDG Index 2025: Thailand tops ASEAN with reduced poverty and better education
Thailand ranks 1st in ASEAN in the 2025 SDG Index, showing strong progress in reducing poverty and improving education. However, further improvements are needed in key areas such as hunger, economic growth, and climate action."
The Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), on June 24, 2025, released its annual Sustainable Development Report (SDR). This year’s report focuses on the reform of the Global Financial Architecture (GFA), aiming to streamline and enhance international capital flows to better support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030 and mid-century.
The report evaluates progress towards the SDGs across 193 United Nations member countries, with 167 countries ranked in the SDG Index this year.
New SDG Index Indicators
The 2025 SDG Index incorporates a total of 126 indicators, including 102 global indicators and 24 additional indicators specifically for members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), which has 38 member countries. Thailand officially joined the OECD in 2024.
Additionally, the report introduces a new index, the SDG Index (headline version) or SDGi, which includes just 17 key indicators to measure progress on each goal for countries and regions. This new index aims to minimise statistical bias caused by incomplete time series data.
The 2025 report also features new indicators, including one related to “minimum dietary diversity for children aged 6–23 months” under SDG 2 (Zero Hunger). Updates to the methodology can be found in the report’s annex.
While each UN member country has its own profile, only those with missing data of no more than 20% will receive scores and rankings in the SDG Index. This ensures more accurate comparisons and reduces bias from incomplete data.
Thailand Ranks 1st in ASEAN and 43rd Globally in 2025 SDG Index
Thailand was ranked 43rd out of 167 countries in the SDG Index, with a total score of 75.34 and a Spillover Score of 89.73, reflecting the country's commitment to sustainable development both nationally and globally. Thailand also maintained its position as the top performer in Southeast Asia for the 7th consecutive year, surpassing countries like China, which ranked 49th with a score of 74.39.
Top ASEAN Rankings:
- 43rd: Thailand – 75.34 points
- 61st: Vietnam – 73.35 points
- 69th: Singapore – 71.54 points
- 77th: Indonesia – 70.22 points
- 84th: Malaysia – 69.52 points
- 87th: Philippines – 68.34 points
- 92nd: Brunei – 67.97 points
- 101st: Cambodia – 66.38 points
- 116th: Myanmar – 63.56 points
- 121st: Laos – 62.55 points
Progress and Areas for Improvement
While Thailand has made significant progress in several SDGs, the country has successfully achieved or maintained good progress in only two SDGs:
- SDG 1: No Poverty
- SDG 4: Quality Education
Six other goals have seen improvements:
- SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being
- SDG 5: Gender Equality
- SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
- SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
- SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
- SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
However, nine goals remain “steady,” with no significant improvements in recent years. These include critical areas such as:
- SDG 2: Zero Hunger
- SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
- SDG 10: Reduced Inequality
- SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
- SDG 13: Climate Action
- SDG 14: Life Below Water
- SDG 15: Life on Land
- SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions
- SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals
To further achieve the SDGs, Thailand should focus on:
- Policy reform in the environmental and energy sectors to address climate change and reduce fossil fuel dependency.
- Expanding social welfare systems to reduce inequality in both urban and rural areas.
- Promoting sustainable business and innovation to boost competitiveness and employment.
- Strengthening transparency and governance to ensure sustainable, long-term development outcomes.
Top 10 Countries in the SDG Index 2025
- Finland – 87.02 points
- Sweden – 85.74 points
- Denmark – 85.26 points
- Germany – 83.67 points
- France – 83.14 points
- Austria – 83.01 points
- Norway – 82.72 points
- Croatia – 82.39 points
- Poland – 82.08 points
- Czechia – 81.94 points
Bottom 5 Countries
The countries at the bottom of the SDG Index, largely affected by war, instability, and social fragility, include:
- 167th: South Sudan
- 166th: Central African Republic
- 165th: Chad
- 164th: Somalia
163rd: Yemen
