What is India’s rank in the 2017 Sustainable Development Goal Index?

The correct answer is A) 116th. India ranked 116th in the Sustainable Development Report 2017, which scored 157 countries on the SDG Index. The index is prepared by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network with Bertelsmann Stiftung and measures performance across the 17 goals adopted in the 2030 Agenda in September 2015.

• B) 125th is not India's 2017 position. Ranks in this index move every year as methodology and country data change, so do not anchor on one number.
• C) 108th is also not the 2017 figure. It is a number that candidates often mix up with other years or other rankings.
• D) 95th is too high for India's 2017 position. It is not supported by the report.

The core concept is the SDG Index as a composite, goal-wise score that shows distance to targets rather than just income. For Mains, link it to NITI Aayog's SDG India Index and district-level localisation, and to the data gaps that hold back measurement.

Trap: Candidates memorise a rank without its year and report. Always tie the figure to the edition, because India's rank has changed in later reports.