Assessing performance toward sustainable development goals in central Asia's regions

The countries of Central Asia have adopted the 2030 Agenda, but progress monitoring at the subnational level remains limited due to the lack of integrated and comparable analyses. This study aims to assess regional SDG performance at the subnational level in Central Asia by calculating the overall SDG index. The SDG index was computed based on a set of 61 official and derived indicators estimated at the subnational level using both statistical and Earth Observation (EO) data. The spatial associations among the three SDG dimensions were analysed to highlight regional interactions in Central Asia. The results indicate a high level of sustainable development performance in the regions of Kazakhstan, while regions in the Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan exhibit the lowest levels of performance. Understanding the level of sustainable development at the subnational level enhances the ability of authorities to develop implementation strategies and monitor progress, thereby potentially supporting regional planning and monitoring.