India needs $2.64-trn investment to meet UN's Sustainable Development Goals

India needs a whopping $2.64 trillion investment to meet the UN's sustainable development goals (SDGs), offering the private sector an investment opportunity of over $1.12 trillion by 2030, according to a report.

According to the Standard Chartered SDG Investment Map, the total investment that the country needs to make by 2030 is a whopping $2,633.9 billion. Of the total, $,558.8 billion is for clean energy, $505.5 billion for transport infrastructure, $377.4 billion for digital access; and $192.2 billion for clean water and sanitation.

Of the total $2.64 trillion of investment needed, the potential investment opportunity for the private sector is a whopping $1.12 trillion with $701.5 billion going into clean energy, $226.5 billion for digital access, $176.9 billion in transport infrastructure, and $19.2 billion for clean water and sanitation, said the report.

For the emerging markets as a whole, the opportunity for the private sector is around $10 trillion, said the report adding that "India represents $1.124 trillion of SDG opportunity, or more than 10 per cent of the $9.668 trillion opportunity for private sector investors across all emerging markets to help achieve the UN goals."

At $701.5 billion, the greatest private sector opportunity in the country is investment in achieving and maintaining universal access to electricity, which is the seventh SDG.

The study identified opportunities for the private sector to contribute to three infrastructure-focused goals between now and 2030 SDG 6: Clean water and sanitation, SDG 7: Affordable and clean energy, and SDG 9: Industry, innovation and infrastructure.

Seven per cent of the country's population still do not have access to electricity.

The opportunity in the water and sanitation is $19.2 billion as 24 per cent of the people still do not have access to clean water and sanitation and closing this gap by 2030 will require investment of close to $20 billion, said the report.

The SDG 9 calls for improvement in industry, innovation and infrastructure by 2030 wherein private sector can chip into transport and digital areas which requires an investment of around $226.5 billion. Of the total, transport infrastructure alone will need $176.9 billion of investment. The present digital access is only 45 per cent.

"Opportunity 2030 provides an important map of the SDG opportunities for private sector investors looking to invest with impact and improve the lives of millions of Indians over the next decade," Bharat Padmanabhan of StanChart said.

The Opportunity 2030 study spans 15 of the world's fastest-growing economies and estimates the potential private-sector investment opportunity to contribute to three of the most investment-ready SDGs (6,7 and 9).