The Social Progress Imperative

The Social Progress Index measures the extent to which countries provide for the social and environmental needs of their citizens. It is an aggregate index of social and environmental indicators that capture three dimensions of social progress: Basic Human Needs, Foundations of Wellbeing, and Opportunity. The 2017 Social Progress Index includes data from 128 countries on 50 indicators an is published by the nonprofit Social Progress Imperative.

The Social Progress Imperative defines social progress as the capacity of a society to meet the basic human needs of its citizens, establish the building blocks that allow citizens and communities to enhance and sustain the quality of their lives, and create the conditions for all individuals to reach their full potential. Rather than emphasizing traditional measurements of success like income and investment, they measure 50+ indicators of social and environmental outcomes to create a clearer picture of what life is really like for everyday people. We divide these indicators across three broad dimensions of social progress: Basic Human Needs, Foundations of Wellbeing, and Opportunity. And within each dimension, there are components that further divide the indicators into thematic categories.

Ultimately, the goal of the Social Progress Imperative is to empower leaders and change-makers from business, government, and civil society by providing them with the data they need to understand where their actions will have the greatest impact. (www.socialprogressindex.com)