Sustainable Development Levels and Convergence Patterns in EU Countries in 2015, 2019 and 2023

Iwona Bąk; Anna Spoz; Magdalena Zioło

doi:10.18290/pepsi-2025-0025

Published : 2025-12-31

Vol. 31 No. 2 (2025)

Sustainable Development Levels and Convergence Patterns in EU Countries in 2015, 2019 and 2023

Iwona Bąk

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8959-7269

Anna Spoz

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5071-0017

Magdalena Zioło

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4136-046X

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18290/pepsi-2025-0025

Abstract

The aim of this article is to assess the level of sustainable development of European Union countries in 2015, 2019 and 2023 using a synthetic measure derived from economic, social, and environmental indicators, and to analyse typological changes as well as convergence patterns in the relative positioning of EU member states. Sustainable development, grounded in the principles of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), requires coordinated action by the Member States, which makes it particularly important to examine differences and changes in overall development levels across countries rather than in individual dimensions considered separately. Existing research highlights heterogeneous and selective development trajectories within the EU, with partial convergence in some areas and persistent disparities in others. The analysis is based on Eurostat data and 15 diagnostic indicators describing sustainable development, aggregated using a robust positional approach employing the Weber median, which is resistant to outliers and distribution asymmetry and enables a reliable assessment of cross-country diversity. On this basis, country rankings and four typological groups were identified. The results reveal persistently high disparities in sustainable development levels, with Sweden consistently occupying the leading position, while Greece, Bulgaria, and Romania remain at the bottom of the ranking. Although some countries, including Slovakia and Croatia, recorded upward shifts in their typological classification, no clear tendency toward overall convergence was observed. The findings are relevant for policymakers involved in cohesion policy, the energy transition, and the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, as well as for researchers and institutions monitoring progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Keywords:

sustainable development, European Union, convergence, synthetic index, Weber median, SDGs

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Bąk, I., Spoz, A., & Zioło, M. (2025). Sustainable Development Levels and Convergence Patterns in EU Countries in 2015, 2019 and 2023. Journal for Perspectives of Economic Political and Social Integration, 31(2), 309–337. https://doi.org/10.18290/pepsi-2025-0025

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