SCIPE: A Hybrid Framework for Measuring the Quality of Life in Low-Resource Countries Aligning with the Objectives of SDGs

The effective realization of the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda relies on precise, timely monitoring; yet, for many low-resource nations, the lack of consistent data remains a critical barrier. In these contexts, traditional household surveys are often infrequent, resource-intensive, and prone to organizational gaps, hindering the granular assessment of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). To bridge this gap, this paper proposes the Sustainable Composite Indicator for Policy Enforcement (SCIPE) , a robust hybrid framework designed to quantify quality of life by integrating traditional statistical sources with high-frequency non-traditional data (NTD), including satellite imagery and nighttime lights. Designed explicitly for data-scarce environments, we demonstrate the efficacy of SCIPE through a representative case study in Bangladesh , organizing the analysis at a granular, district-level resolution. This manuscript provides a policy-aligned conceptual mapping that connects specific quality of life domains to relevant SDGs and alike targets. We consider the SDGs as a standardized benchmark for categorising domains to specify necessary determinants for a holistic measurement. The methodological blueprint articulates rigorous protocols for normalization, participatory weighting, and validation, while explicitly incorporating governance measures to mitigate privacy risks and representational bias. We lay out a complete path to establish a system supporting timely and spatially resolved insights to support initiatives such as Five-Year Plans and Voluntary National Reviews in the context of Bangladesh or a country with a similar socio-economic category. Ultimately, the study demonstrates that while the hybrid SCIPE index offers superior responsiveness and spatial resolution, its responsible deployment requires prudent implementation, strong data governance, and continuous fairness audits to ensure equitable policy enforcement.