The relevance of the study stems from the fact that the global economic crisis of 2020, caused by the spread of coronavirus infection, had a negative impact on the prospects of implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2015 and the relevant Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). For the Russian Federation, measures to overcome the consequences of the crisis need to strike a balance between short-term economic objectives and long-term social and environmental goals outlined both in the SDGs and in the Decree "On the National Development Goals of the Russian Federation for the period up to 2030". The R&D is aimed at studying the experience of the BRICS countries in ensuring sustainable economic recovery and growth in the post-crisis period. Based on the data obtained, the BRICS Index of SDG Implementation will be developed, which will provide data on the progress and contribution of the BRICS countries to the implementation of the SDGs. Further annual updates of the Index will provide an objective assessment of the progress and contribution of the BRICS countries to the achievement of the SDGs. This study was conducted within the framework of the study "Building the BRICS SDG Index based on the analysis of national sustainable development policies. The object of the study is the sustainable development policies of the BRICS countries. The purpose of the study was to develop and test a mechanism for the assessment and comparative analysis of the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals in the BRICS countries.  

In preparing the paper, we used the methods of content analysis, comparative analysis of key international indices, statistical analysis and expert assessment. 

The paper presents the results of the analysis of the BRICS countries' (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) progress on 64 indicators of sustainable development for 2015 and 2020. The research resulted in the creation of the BRICS Sustainable Development Index, reflecting the progress in implementation and the level of priority of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (Agenda 2030) in the five countries.  

Conclusions. The following results were recorded based on the results of the Index formation: China made the most significant progress in all key SDG areas in 2015-2020, scoring highest on SDG 6, Clean Water and Sanitation, SDG 10, Reducing Inequality, and SDG 14, Preserving Marine Ecosystems. India, in second place, has progressed faster than other countries on SDG 1, Eradicate Poverty; SDG 4, Quality Education; and SDG 13, Combating Climate Change. Russia, ranked third, led in SDG 8, "Decent Work and Economic Growth," and SDG 9, "Industrialization, Innovation and Infrastructure. Brazil scored the highest in SDG 2 Ending Hunger and SDG 5 Gender Equality. Finally, South Africa made the most progress on SDG 15, "Preserve Terrestrial Ecosystems. 

Prospects for the study, directions for further work. In continuing the work in the future, it seems advisable to consider the possibility of taking the average values of sustainability indicators for three-year time periods as baseline data for the formation of the Index. The continuation of the study in the coming years will also ensure the accumulation of data over a longer period of time, which will allow for a multi-year analysis of the progress of the BRICS countries in their transition to more sustainable growth patterns.