The Nordics remain ahead - but are others catching up?

Image

The Nordic countries continue to set the global benchmark for sustainable development. According to the Sustainable Development Report 2026 (SDR), Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Norway rank as the top four countries in the global SDG Index, while Iceland ranks ninth. This means that all Nordic countries are among the world's strongest performers.

A strong foundation with persistent challenges

Behind the Nordic countries' strong performance are strong institutions, high levels of trust and robust welfare systems. As stated in the report “The Nordic countries have demonstrated that universal health, education and welfare systems can coexist with technological dynamism.”

At the same time, several of the region's most persistent environmental challenges remain largely unchanged. Sustainable Consumption and Production (SDG 12), Climate Action (SDG 13), Life Below Water (SDG 14) and Life on Land (SDG 15) continue to be among the weakest-performing goals across the Nordic region. These challenges were also highlighted in the Nordic Sustainable Development Report 2025.

This raises an important question: is being ahead today enough to remain a leader tomorrow?

The Nordic region in a global context

In this year’s report, other regions show significant progress. Countries in Southeast Asia have improved rapidly over the past decade, driven by investments in health, education and infrastructure. The report also finds that people in parts of Asia are generally more optimistic about progress on sustainable development than those in Europe and North America.

The SDR's Spillover Index adds another perspective. Several countries in Southern and Eastern Europe perform better than the Nordic countries when it comes to limiting negative impacts beyond their borders. While these countries often rank lower overall on the SDGs, they perform better in the Spillover Index. This observation challenges the idea that sustainability leadership should be judged only by domestic performance.

This broader perspective is also reflected in other global assessments. A strong and effective United Nations (UN) supports the international order on which Nordic security, prosperity and sustainability depend. In the UN-based multilateralism index (UN-Mi), the Nordic countries rank surprisingly low: Iceland is placed 56th, Norway 129th, Denmark 133rd, Finland 140th and Sweden 151st. 

These results point to gaps in how Nordic countries engage with key dimensions of UN-based multilateralism, such as voting alignment in the UN General Assembly and contributions to international solidarity. Overall, only Iceland shows strong support for this, while Norway, Denmark and Finland display moderate support and Sweden inconsistent support - with all four latter countries also declining over time.

Can the Nordic vision become reality?

As the Nordic region works towards the Nordic Council of Ministers' vision of becoming the world's most sustainable and integrated region by 2030, the report points to a broader challenge. Remaining a leader will require not only maintaining strong social and economic outcomes but also reducing environmental pressures and global impacts linked to consumption and production.

Nordic countries remain ahead but in a world where sustainability challenges are increasingly global, leadership is less about staying on top and more about working together. Building a sustainable society for present and future generations will require moving beyond a domestic focus and strengthening cooperation across borders, recognising that progress depends on shared responsibility and collective action.