Social Progress Index

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Social Progress Index (SPI) for States and Districts made by the Institute for Competitiveness and Social Progress Imperative was released recently.

Social Progress Index (SPI)

SPI is a comprehensive tool to measure a country's social progress at the national and sub-national levels.
The index evaluates states and districts based on 12 components across 3 critical dimensions of social progress;
- Basic Human Needs: It assesses the performance of states and districts in terms of Nutrition and Basic Medical Care, Water and Sanitation, Personal Safety and Shelter.
- Foundations of Wellbeing: It assesses the progress made by the country across the components of Access to Basic Knowledge, Access to Information and Communication, Health and Wellness, and Environmental Quality.
- Opportunity: It concentrates on Personal Rights, Personal Freedom and Choice, Inclusiveness, and Access to Advanced Education.
The index uses an extensive framework comprising 89 indicators at the state level and 49 at the district level.
Based on the SPI scores, states and districts have been ranked under 6 tiers of social progress;
- Tier 1: Very High Social Progress
- Tier 2: High Social Progress
- Tier 3: Upper Middle Social Progress
- Tier 4: Lower Middle Social Progress
- Tier 5: Low Social Progress
- Tier 6: Very Low Social Progress

Key Points of the Index

Puducherry, Lakshadweep, and Goa emerge as best-performing states.
Aizawl (Mizoram), Solan (Himachal Pradesh), and Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) are the top 3 best-performing districts.
Puducherry has the highest SPI score (65.99) in the country, attributable to its remarkable performance across components like Personal Freedom and Choice, Shelter, and Water and Sanitation.
- Jharkhand and Bihar scored the lowest, 43.95 and 44.47, respectively.
For the dimension of Basic Human Needs; Goa, Puducherry, Lakshadweep, and Chandigarh are the top four states with the best performance in Water and Sanitation and Shelter as compared to the other states and union territories.
Goa has the highest component score for Water and Sanitation.
Kerala scored the highest across the Nutrition and Basic Medical Care components.
Delhi has topped the list for Access to Information and Communication.
For Health and Wellness, Rajasthan has the highest score.
Tamil Nadu has achieved the highest component score for the Opportunity dimension.
Andaman and Nicobar Islands have the highest component score for Personal Rights.
Sikkim has topped the list for Inclusiveness.

SOCIAL PROGRESS INDEX