This index reviews the readiness of 86 countries to ‘leave no one behind’, monitoring the extent to which government systems are set up and ready to meet their leave no one behind commitment.

It covers all the countries that are presenting Voluntary National Reviews at the 2018 High-level Political Forum as well as those that presented last year. Building on ODI’s 2017 ‘leave no one behind’ index, this year’s index adds an additional policy indicator on resilience. It also includes a new ‘leave no one behind’ outcome score for each country that captures the extent to which real-world outcomes on leaving no one behind are improving. The index measures governments’ readiness in three areas:

1. Data. Are countries undertaking the necessary surveys to identify those at risk of being left behind?
2. Policy. Do countries have key policies in place that address the needs of those at risk of being left behind – in particular, in relation to: women’s access to land and employment; and universal access to health, which previous ODI research identified as critical areas to support leaving no one behind?
3. Finance. Are governments investing enough in education, health and social protection – the three key sectors that are well recognised to be critical for supporting those at risk of being left behind?