Level of implementation of the tenth Sustainable Development Goal – reducing inequalities – in European Union countries – assessment using multidimensional comparative analysis in a dynamic approach

Abstract

Contemporary social and economic inequalities constitute one of the main obstacles to sustainable development, not only within individual societies but also on a global scale. The persistence of spatial disparities within the European Union in the realm of inequality reduction highlights the need for research in this area. The objective of this article is to identify and assess the level of achievement of the tenth Sustainable Development Goal – the reduction of inequalities – in European Union countries. The study covers the period from 2018 to 2022. The assessment of goal attainment is based on indicators monitored by Eurostat. A multidimensional comparative analysis was employed in the article, utilizing the linear ordering method in a dynamic approach. Rankings of countries, typological groups, and the scale of changes in the level of achieving the tenth goal between EU countries were derived from the calculated synthetic measure. The research results indicate significant diversity among EU countries in terms of social and economic inequality levels. Western and Northern European countries ranked higher, while Southern and Eastern European countries ranked lower. Luxembourg, Ireland, and the Netherlands consistently occupied the top three positions in all the analyzed years. Conversely, at the other end of the scale, were positioned the two poorest EU countries, Romania and Bulgaria, as well as Spain and Italy, particularly affected by migration issues. Improvement in the synthetic indicator value from 2018 to 2022 was observed in 13 EU countries, especially in Greece, Portugal, Poland, and Croatia. On the other hand, the greatest decline in the synthetic measure value was noted in fourteen countries, notably Estonia, Bulgaria, and Romania.