NITI Aayog has released India’s first SDG Urban Index and Dashboard 2021–22, offering a data-driven assessment of how 56 major urban centres are progressing towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Developed in collaboration with GIZ, on behalf of Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the Index evaluates cities across 77 indicators mapped to 46 SDG targets.
The initiative aims to support evidence based decision making for urban administrations, helping them identify progress, gaps, and policy priorities. It also marks a significant shift towards performance-linked urban planning, aligning municipal development efforts with India’s broader sustainable development agenda.
Shimla tops national rankings
Shimla emerged as the top-performing urban area with a composite score of 75.50, followed by Coimbatore (73.29), Chandigarh (72.36), and Thiruvananthapuram (72.36). The top 10 list features a diversity of cities across regions, with strong showings from Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Maharashtra. Cities such as Kochi, Panaji, Pune, Tiruchirappalli, Ahmedabad, and Nagpur also secured positions among the leading performers, indicating robust progress on indicators related to health, education, clean energy, sustainable urban infrastructure, and environmental sustainability.
The results highlight the effectiveness of targeted urban policies in several southern and western cities, which have consistently invested in public health systems, waste management, renewable energy adoption, and public transport.
Cities with development gaps identified
At the other end of the spectrum, Dhanbad registered the lowest score at 52.43, indicating substantial challenges across SDG-linked indicators. Other cities with lower rankings include Meerut, Itanagar, Guwahati, Patna, and Kohima, reflecting persistent issues in areas such as sanitation, air quality, public health, housing, and access to essential services.
Faridabad, Kolkata, and Agra also featured among the bottom performers, suggesting that even major urban centres require accelerated efforts to improve sustainability outcomes and align with national and global development targets.
A strategic tool for urban policy
The SDG Urban Index is expected to become a pivotal benchmarking and planning tool for municipal bodies, urban planners, and policymakers. It offers comparative insights that can shape targeted interventions in low-scoring cities while replicating best practices from high-performing ones.
By enabling granular monitoring of SDG progress at the city level, the Index supports India’s commitment to achieving the SDGs by 2030. Urban areas—home to a rapidly growing share of the country’s population—play a decisive role in this mission, accounting for rising energy needs, environmental pressures, and infrastructural demands.
The Dashboard also reflects India’s broader shift towards sustainable, resilient, and inclusive urban development, encouraging local governments to adopt climate-conscious planning, strengthen municipal governance, improve data systems, and deliver better public services.
Driving localised sustainability action
Officials emphasised that the Index would promote healthy competition among cities while helping them track improvements year-on-year. As municipal bodies increasingly rely on data-led assessments, this initiative is likely to accelerate reforms in areas such as waste management, air quality improvement, affordable housing, water security, mobility, and green energy adoption.
By spotlighting both achievements and shortcomings, the SDG Urban Index offers a clear roadmap for India’s urban sustainability journey. It reinforces the message that future-ready, liveable cities will be central to meeting national development priorities and global commitments.
