Assessing the Impact of G20 Initiatives on Indias Sustainable Development Goals: A Secondary Data Based Analysis

The member-countries of the G20 (G20) play a significant role in shaping global governance of sustainable development. Under the theme “One Earth, One Family, One Future”, India’s G20 2023 Presidency placed strong emphasis on accelerating the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). With India as both a host and active participant, this paper investigates how G20 initiatives have influenced India’s SDG achievement trajectory. Employing a secondary-data analytical approach, the study draws on the NITI Aayog SDG India Index, G20 declarations and action plans, and other publicly-available datasets covering the period 2018-2024. Key findings reveal that while India has improved its aggregate SDG score (rising to 71 out of 100 in 2023-24) reflecting progress in several goals, notable gaps remain in areas such as gender equality and hunger. The paper finds promising alignment between G20-led commitments (e.g., the 2023 G20 Action Plan on SDGs) and India’s domestic policies, but also identifies challenges in translation from international commitments to state-level performance. Policy implications emphasise strengthened monitoring, localisation of G20 commitments, and tailored federal-state cooperation. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of how multilateral frameworks like the G20 can serve as catalytic platforms for SDG progress in the Indian context.