According to the “Sustainable Development Report 2020,” Azerbaijan ranks 54th among 166 countries worldwide in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Index. Commenting on this, Vusal Gasimli, Executive Director of the Center for Analysis of Economic Reforms and Communication (CAERC), stated that Azerbaijan has outperformed two out of every three countries globally in terms of SDG performance.

He noted that Azerbaijan is a regional leader in the index, having surpassed all neighboring countries. In the report, Russia ranks 57th, Georgia 58th, Iran 59th, Kazakhstan 65th, Türkiye 70th, Armenia 75th, and Turkmenistan 114th.

According to him, Azerbaijan has made progress across several UN Sustainable Development Goals, including healthcare, well-being, poverty reduction, nutrition, clean water, clean energy, sustainable cities and communities, as well as peace, justice, and strong institutions. Out of the 17 SDGs, regression was recorded in only one area—quality of education.

Azerbaijan scored 72.6 out of 100 in the SDG Index. For comparison, the average score for the Eastern Europe and Central Asia region is 70.9.

Vusal Gasimli also stated that, according to the report, no extreme poverty cases—defined as individuals living on less than 3.2 USD per day—have been recorded in Azerbaijan. Improvements have also been observed in indicators such as maternal and infant mortality per 100,000 population. The Gini coefficient, which reflects income inequality, stands at 38.6 in Azerbaijan, placing the country among those with relatively strong performance globally.

He further added that Azerbaijan’s emergence as a regional leader in the UN Sustainable Development Goals aligns with President Ilham Aliyev’s initiative to convene a special session of the United Nations. This, he emphasized, demonstrates that under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev, Azerbaijan plays an important role in shaping and implementing the global development agenda.