Sweden tops the list followed by Denmark and Norway , Finland is fourth out of 149 nations on progress to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals according to a new index launched by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) and Bertelsmann Stiftung.

The purpose is to follow progress and pinpoint focus areas for countries working on the 17 SDG goals across the three dimensions of sustainable development; economic development, social inclusion and environmental sustainability, underpinned by good governance.

The 17 goals were outlined last September, with the aim to “end poverty, address inequalities and tackle climate change” worldwide by 2030. The index collected available data for 149 countries to assess where each country stands in 2016 with regard to achieving the SDGs.

The index helps countries identify priorities for early actions and shows that every country faces major challenges in achieving the SDGs.

See the full 2016 SDG Index: issuu.com/unsdsn/docs/sdg_index

Source and graphics: www.un.org