Nandini Garai, Ajishnu Roy , Kousik Pramanick

India's diverse socioeconomic landscape and environmental challenges make it a complex case for implementing the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Despite India's federal structure, comprehensive research on subnational SDG progress is lacking. This study analysed progress, challenges, interlinkages, and spatial disparities in individual and grouped SDGs (environmental, social, and economic) across 37 Indian states and union territories (UTs). We employed a multi-method approach to analyse the SDGs across 112 indicators (2018-2020). Significant variations in SDG performance across India, with the southern and northern states generally outperforming the central and eastern states. Inequality showed decreasing trends in most SDG groups, indicating progress towards a more equitable distribution of SDG achievements. This study provides a comprehensive baseline for tracking the progress of the SDGs in India. Based on the results of this study, tailored context-specific suggestions for policymakers were proposed that integrate environmental, social, and economic priorities. Promoting inter-state collaboration, strengthening institutions, and data-driven decision-making are crucial for accelerating India's progress towards ambitious SDGs.