Social progress drops
The world advanced, but the route to progress is uneven. Over the past three decades, humanity has made remarkable gains in societal wellbeing, adding 12.7 points to global social progress since 1990 and narrowing the gap between the world's most and least advanced regions.This historic milestone lifted dozens of nations out of deprivation, reducing the number of low-performing countries in social progress from 47 to just seven. These seven countries – Chad, Afghanistan, Central African Republic, Niger, Somalia, Eritrea, and South Sudan – are the only ones in the world with scores below 40 points out of 100.However, this trajectory of hope is now encountering a turning point. Since 2010, the annual momentum of global progress has slowed by 41%. This deceleration in social progress is due to a steep decline in Rights and Voices and Inclusive Society. The Opportunity dimension has fallen 2 points since its 2012 peak, signaling that while access to infrastructure and services expands, the freedoms and rights that anchor resilient societies are actively sliding backward.
