Sustainable development in Brazilian states: a multidimensional analysis based on the sustainable development goals

Despite the widespread adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a global framework for monitoring sustainable development, empirical evidence at the subnational level remains limited, particularly in developing countries. This study contributes to the literature by providing a comprehensive and multivariate assessment of sustainable development performance across Brazilian states, integrating the SDGs with the social, economic, and environmental dimensions of sustainability. Using official data from the Cities’ Sustainable Development Index of Brazil (IDSC-BR), the analysis applies descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analysis, and cluster analysis to identify structural patterns, territorial inequalities, and imbalances among sustainability dimensions. The results reveal that no Brazilian state achieves satisfactory performance across all SDGs, with the economic dimension emerging as the most critical bottleneck nationwide. Factor analysis confirms the consistency of the sustainability tripod within the SDG framework, while cluster analysis highlights strong regional patterns in sustainability performance. These findings underscore persistent territorial disparities and the lack of balanced progress among sustainability dimensions, emphasising the need for differentiated and context-specific public policies to advance the 2030 Agenda in Brazil.