Behind the Data: Key Insights From the AlTi Global Social Progress Index

Michael Green is CEO of the Social Progress Imperative, which, in partnership with AlTi, has recently published the 2025 AlTi Global Social Progress Index. On a worldwide scale, it rigorously measures the capacity of societies to meet the basic needs of their citizens and create the conditions for them to reach their full potential.

In the following interview, we examine the index’s most significant findings and explore the ways in which it demonstrates the opportunities for private-capital investments to drive positive change.

AlTi: What is the biggest insight that can be drawn from this year’s AlTi Global Social Progress Index?

Michael Green: The major finding is that the world is going through a period of stagnation in social progress and has been since 2020. There was quite a steady increase from 2011 onwards, and since then it has plateaued. This is in contrast to what is going on with the global economy, which has recovered since COVID.

AlTi: What do you think are the main reasons for the social-progress slowdown?

MG: One is the big, unexpected shock from COVID – not just the health impacts but in areas such as school attainment and also the knock-on effects of slower economic growth. But there is also a much more chronic problem that has existed since we started collecting data in 2011, which is a decline in social-progress scores relating to rights, including areas such as media freedom and academic freedom.

AlTi: Despite this picture, are there any reasons for optimism?

MG: Yes, definitely. Firstly, we have seen a rapid bounce back from COVID in terms of health indicators. Obviously, we need to be careful about the risks of future pandemics, but hopefully we are more prepared for those.

Secondly, we are seeing that countries can rapidly improve their scores regarding rights. For example, Brazil is the most improved country in the past year, and that is because of a rebound in its scores in academic rights, equality before the law, and so on.

And thirdly, there is a huge amount of unfulfilled potential, so a big acceleration is possible.

AlTi: So how can the index be useful to investors who wish to help drive this acceleration?

MG: Its primary value is to give a comprehensive picture of how different countries are performing, seen through a non-financial lens, to complement economic measures. I see it as an opportunity map for investors who are looking for the best possibilities for rapid impact, or where capital could have the biggest multiplier effect. See the end of this article for a list of key areas of opportunity.

AlTi: Why do you measure social progress independently of economic factors?

MG: Economic growth comes in different flavors. It sometimes brings a lot of benefits to the population, but sometimes it is relatively empty. So that is where we saw there was a gap – no one had created a comprehensive measure of social progress that is independent of economic variables.

However, it is vital to understand this correctly: The economy matters. Our data shows that economic growth is a key driver of social progress. But by measuring social progress independently of that, we can understand the relationship between economic and social progress. That way, we have an extremely useful analytical tool based on a rigorous empirical foundation.

This reveals two key insights:

• First, as you go up the GDP-per-capita scale, you can see a flattening-out of social progress. As nations become more advanced, it is harder to improve social progress, as they have used up their easy wins.
• Second, the index demonstrates that, at any level of GDP, some countries are doing better than others in how they are using their resources to deliver social-progress outcomes. GDP is not destiny. Choices made by governments and businesses will affect how well economic resources are converted into social and environmental outcomes.

AlTi: This year’s index highlights four areas where the data shows that private capital can make big changes. Is it important to realize that these are all interconnected?

MG: Absolutely. We need to talk about specific issues, but we also need to recognize that this is a system. You have to think about how all the pieces fit together. So, for example, in some countries you cannot tackle environmental quality if you do not also address rights, and so on. The index is a comprehensive framework that enables us to add everything together to show how it is all linked, rather than just considering everything in silos. And that is why we believe it is so valuable.

Four Key Areas of Focus for Impact-Seeking Investors

The data in the 2025 AlTi Global Social Progress Index reveals four key themes where private-capital investments have a real opportunity to make a positive impact on social progress. Michael Green shares his views on each of them.

Health

MG: A key opportunity here is to solve the challenges we are facing with health systems. This is primarily in richer countries now, but it is going to be an issue for others in the future. In particular, more is being asked of our health systems as we deal with the problems created by demographic change, aging populations, and so on. This is a sector where new AI-driven technology has huge potential to increase productivity and significantly improve outcomes.

Other strong opportunities lie in applying existing solutions for clean water and sanitation in areas such as Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

Rights

MG: This is a much harder area to tackle than health, and the relationship between investments, progress, and returns can be less straightforward. Often, it is only after long periods of time that we can see an effect. If you think back to the support received by countries that were formerly under Soviet control, such as in Eastern Europe, it took a long time for the benefits to be seen – yet that support was critical in helping those countries make the change.

An important area to consider here could be around media freedoms, which have seen some big declines in some countries. And that might not be only about protecting rights but also supporting the business model of an independent media.

The environment

MG: One key aspect is tackling the perceived trade-off between the environment and the economy – the idea that if you want to grow economically, you need to industrialize, and to industrialize, you need to use more energy, burn more fossil fuels, and create more pollution. We know that cycle can be broken with the use of clean technologies. Yet, if we look at South Asia or Sub-Saharan Africa, we are seeing their environmental performance deteriorating because they are trying to do it using the old technology. So, investors have a great opportunity to help those countries leap to the next-generation technology.

A second area ready for big investment and improvement is the circular economy. Supporting the environment is not just about greenhouse gases; it is about reducing our levels of consumption. But there has been no progress in this outside of Europe – and even Europe is not doing that well.

Gender equity

MG: We know that this is an area where big impacts can be made, and there has been some good news, particularly in girls’ education and maternal mortality, showing that investments have been working. But there is still a very long way to go, especially when it comes to the ongoing crisis around violence against women. This most egregious manifestation of gender inequality needs priority investment to help tackle it.