Evaluating European countries' progress towards SDGs: Insights from parallel SBM DEA analysis of economic, healthcare, environmental, and educational efficiencies.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations aim to address the sustainable challenges continuously emerging in the world today. This study analyzes the progress of 27 European countries from 2015 to 2019 in achieving SDG Goal 3 (Good Health and Well-Being), Goal 4 (Quality Education), and Goal 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth). The implementation of these three goals is interconnected. Good health enhances the effectiveness of education, as healthy individuals can learn and work better. Improvements in education are not only crucial for personal career development but also promote economic growth and social welfare. Stable and sustainable economic growth provides the necessary resources and conditions for improving health and education. This study uses the Parallel SBM DEA model to quantify the performance of EU countries in the areas of economy, healthcare and environment, and education, and standardizes the scores on a scale from 0 (lowest performance) to 1 (best performance). The results are as follows: 1.The economic performance of 12 countries, the employment performance of 6 countries, and the per capita disposable income of 8 countries were below the average level. This study suggests that these countries could pursue industrial upgrading and transformation (e.g., adopting higher value-added industries), which would create better employment opportunities and increase per capita disposable income. 2. Healthcare performance was strong across all countries, but environmental performance in 10 countries was below the average. The study recommends that these countries promote the use of renewable energy, provide subsidies for energy-saving technologies to businesses and households, and promote green buildings and electric vehicles to reduce toxic gas emissions. 3.The educational performance and college completion rates in 6 countries were below the average level. This study suggests that these countries increase education spending and resource allocation, provide employment support for university graduates, and promote digital learning and lifelong learning policies.