This article discusses the results of the study on the formation of the BRICS Sustainable Development Index. The authors describe the methodology of the index, the indicator selection process, and methodological problems and challenges, and also provide a detailed analysis of the dynamics of sustainable development goal (SDG) indicators for the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) in 2015–20.

The results of the study indicate both the overall progress of the BRICS countries toward SDG implementation and the presence of negative trends in a number of areas and for some countries. For 53 of the 64 indicators selected for the analysis, positive trends were recorded, on average, across BRICS. Nevertheless, the index identified several negative trends across a number of issue areas for individual states and for the group as a whole. These trends include: an increase in the average prevalence of malnutrition, an increase in the number of people in need of treatment for tropical diseases, increasing pressure on water ecosystems in the BRICS countries amid a decrease in their area, a decrease in the share of research and development expenditures of gross national product (GDP), and a decline in biodiversity indicators.

The article was written on the basis of the RANEPA state assignment research programme.