Country SSP alignment is derived from 10 public indicators, each normalized 0–1 and weighted against SSP archetype profiles.
Indicator 01
Income Inequality — Gini Index
0 = perfect equality, 100 = perfect inequality.
Maps to: "Reducing inequality" (SSP1) · "Inequalities persist/worsen" (SSP3/4) · Source: World Bank
Indicator 02
Fossil Fuel Share of Primary Energy (%)
Percentage of total energy from coal, oil, and gas.
Maps to: "Fossil fuel dependence" (SSP3/5) · "Lower resource intensity" (SSP1) · Source: Our World in Data
Indicator 03
Human Development Index (HDI)
0–1 composite of life expectancy, education, and income.
Maps to: "Strong education & health investment" (SSP1/5) · "Poorly educated societies" (SSP4) · Source: UNDP
Indicator 04
Governance Quality — V-Dem Liberal Democracy Index
0–1 scale; higher = more democratic and open governance.
Maps to: "Improving global commons management" (SSP1) · "Rising nationalism" (SSP3) · Source: V-Dem / World Bank WGI
Indicator 05
Trade Openness (Trade as % of GDP)
(Exports + Imports) / GDP × 100.
Maps to: "Integrated global markets" (SSP5) · "Regional rivalry/nationalism" (SSP3) · Source: World Bank
Indicator 06
Renewable Energy Share (%)
Percentage of primary energy from solar, wind, hydro, and other renewables.
Maps to: "Diversified energy" (SSP4) · "Sustainability focus" (SSP1) · Source: Our World in Data
Indicator 07
GDP Per Capita Growth Rate (5yr avg, annual %)
Speed of economic development averaged over five years.
Maps to: "Rapid economic growth" (SSP5) · "Slow economic development" (SSP3) · Source: World Bank
Indicator 08
Environmental Performance Index (EPI)
0–100 composite of environmental health and ecosystem vitality.
Maps to: "Respect for environmental boundaries" (SSP1) · "Environmental degradation" (SSP3) · Source: Yale EPI 2024
Indicator 09
Military Spending (% of GDP)
National security prioritization as a share of economic output.
Maps to: "Focus on national/regional security" (SSP3) · Source: SIPRI / World Bank
Indicator 10
Education Spending (% of GDP)
Investment in human capital as a share of economic output.
Maps to: "Strong education investment" (SSP1/5) · "Declining investment" (SSP3) · Source: World Bank
SSP Alignment Scoring
SSP1 — Sustainability
+ High HDI
+ High EPI
+ High renewables
+ High education spending
− Low Gini
− Low fossil share
− Low military spending
SSP2 — Middle of the road
= Mid Gini
= Mid HDI
= Mid fossil share
= Mid governance
= Mid trade openness
= Mid EPI
= Mid GDP growth
SSP3 — Regional rivalry
+ High military spending
+ High fossil share
+ Low trade openness
− Low HDI
− Low governance
− Low EPI
SSP4 — Inequality
+ High Gini
+ High GDP growth
+ Some renewables
− Low governance
− Large HDI / Gini gap
SSP5 — Fossil-fueled dev.
+ High GDP growth
+ High trade openness
+ High HDI
+ High fossil share
+ High energy consumption
Each indicator is normalized 0–1 across all countries, then scored against each SSP archetype using the weights above. A country's final SSP score (0–1) is the weighted sum across all 10 indicators. The spectrum position is the weighted centroid — a single value from 1 (SSP1) to 5 (SSP5) based on relative SSP scores.