Qualitative and quantitative social, economic and environmental factors are assessed for the relative ranking of countries.
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Some, such as the Global Country ESG Index and the Global Corruption Index, rank countries in terms of economic and commercial factors.  Others, such as the Commitment to Development Index, the Democracy Index and the Human Freedom Index, rank the civil liberties of countries.

The Sustainable Development Report provides an overall sustainable development (SDG) performance ranking of UN member states.  The Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) monitors the climate mitigation efforts of 60 countries worldwide – GHG emissions, renewable energy, energy use and climate policy.

The Paris Agreement adopted in 2015 by the United Nations is intended to strengthen the ability of countries to take measures to mitigate the adverse effect of climate change by limiting global warming to well below 2°C, preferably to 1.5°C, compared to pre-industrial levels.

To achieve the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development, each country must determine, plan and regularly report on measures it takes to mitigate global warming and periodically strengthen its commitment.  The countries are legally obligated to prepare, communicate and submit nationally determined contributions (NDCs) – their plans for climate action.

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) are the blueprint.  The countries are responsible for SDG implementation, subject to the interplay of state sovereignty, self-regulation and national circumstances.  SDG implementation and success depend on each country's sustainable development policies, plans, and programs and the inclusion of all stakeholders in the process.

The Paris Agreement which is a legally binding international treaty entered into force on 4 November 2016 and has been ratified by 189 countries to date.  All countries have agreed to work towards achieving the goals.  When developing NDCs and adopting domestic measures to implement them, countries consider how they relate to the SDGs of the 2030 Agenda.

Country CCP CDI CEU CPI CPP EPI ESG GCl GFI GHG HDI HFI SDR SPI WDI WHR WPF
Afghanistan 24 81 176 187 67 156 147 164 167 154
Albania 36 62 45 127 40 47 103 61 53 64 107
Algeria 54 21 33 63 155 117 141 75 41 80 154 134 64 95 113 88
American Samoa 85
Andorra 148 53
Angola 33 151 139 154 50 91 122 99 154 153 109
Anguilla
Antigua and Barbuda 39 36 87
Argentina 47 38 11 38 49 92 34 57 68 48 71 74 29 54 41 50 47
Armenia 46 56 65 62 47 26 51 66 48 82 116
Aruba 180
Australia 59 4 54 75 64 17 9 9 52 56 5 11 39 38 12 15 11
Austria 37 11 46 71 23 8 13 18 23 47 25 22 31 5 11 20 10
Azerbaijan 23 104 96 142 91 131 154 50 103 134 90
Bahamas 64 28 41 86 26
Bahrain 44 90 71 83 166 141 167 102 92 142 37
Bangladesh 25 177 150 144 62 13 139 162 104 119 73 125
Barbados 65 36 46 77 51 46 73 40
Belarus 48 13 39 60 55 79 129 26 118 126 153 34 61 153 81
Belgium 49 16 52 73 38 21 17 17 11 44 35 21 23 18 16 36 18
Belize 49 90 146 73 47 100
Benin 43 155 119 143 129 76 121 153 122 104 102
Bermuda 34 74
Bhutan 68 85 127 54 184 86 33 70 78 84 95
Bolivia 31 99 103 145 117 98 126 90 85 100 61
Bonaire, St. Eustatius, Saba 70
Bosnia – Herzegovina 34 102 56 134 127 63 67 59 63 97 78
Botswana 60 35 109 50 187 61 95 116 93 32 148
Brazil 33 31 8 38 62 81 61 81 34 31 87 80 110 53 62 51 32
Brunei Darussalam 71 99 70 68 133 144 93
Bulgaria 44 41 43 61 41 43 55 25 35 123 41 91 42 44 57 97
Burkina Faso 42 127 156 136 60 93 41 138 142 127 115
Burundi 17 151 167 184 55 156 107 141 160 148 145
Cabo Verde 60 91 51 44 153 29 36 75 35
Cambodia 24 154 134 175 116 142 107 121 121 109
Cameroon 26 153 163 180 44 190 150 118 134 138 140 96
Canada 61 9 64 74 35 49 11 14 15 59 146 13 19 29 10 12 9
Cayman Islands 56 40
Central African Republic 24 75 180 183 128 143 101 162 168 164 155
Chad 19 165 181 178 150 153 104 161 167 160 132
Chile 9 26 50 67 15 65 24 29 33 7 15 32 82 28 36 19 26
China 38 36 56 45 13 160 118 117 26 50 152 175 56 94 156 93
Colombia 25 5 39 21 87 102 67 32 29 156 91 145 75 70 53 43
Comoros 19 85 144 171 179 128 83 133 120 142
Congo (COD) 20 119 182 194 42 149 125 157 161 162 103
Congo (COG) 21 99 153 181 79 136 93 148 149 136 127
Cook Islands 88
Costa Rica 54 68 35 39 20 35 8 47 37 17 12
Côte d’Ivoire 37 19 159 148 188 18 37 127 127 25 99
Croatia 29 40 50 26 138 33 48 40 137 105 48 23 34 106 75
Cuba 45 16 111 111 58 40 173 40 59
Curaçao 60 159 139
Cyprus 42 30 52 32 26 41 43 83 65 43 30 49
Czech Republic 51 21 44 56 51 22 25 32 27 49 28 20 13 23 37 20
Denmark 4 10 25 90 5 1 10 4 2 11 171 4 2 2 2 6 2
Djibouti 30 60 141 138 32 139 164 155 143 137
Dominica 55 42 52 6
Dominican Republic 32 89 88 94 66 102 52 30 68 73 65 77
Ecuador 36 66 72 75 63 95 70 68 63 60 81 50
Egypt 21 12 30 29 127 133 110 59 8 97 161 168 87 113 131 137
El Salvador 33 95 86 120 45 91 112 79 99 93 35
Equatorial Guinea 17 77 171 189 141 156 158
Eritrea 22 144 161 191 125 179 166 152
Estonia 32 36 74 37 14 12 5 30 31 3 4 10 18 27 55
Eswatini 30 75 158 155 89 144 131 137 145 129
Ethiopia 38 143 170 124 35 144 148 114 128 150 122 134
Falkland Islands
Faroe Islands 11
Fiji 53 147 78 58 64 102 52 86 83
Finland 14 8 62 87 11 3 1 2 6 19 175 8 5 1 3 5 1
France 17 2 32 72 10 12 18 19 7 20 99 42 26 7 20 22 24
French Guiana 182
French Polynesia 165
Gabon 29 51 122 162 94 105 113 105 118 104
Gambia 34 122 152 100 97 50 122 124 102 120
Georgia 56 103 76 46 112 43 89 51 50 90 119
Germany 13 7 18 79 19 13 14 12 8 15 29 18 16 6 8 14 17
Ghana 43 170 131 80 71 174 66 60 110 98 63 98
Gibraltar 63
Greece 24 27 16 52 24 28 22 37 22 24 68 57 108 32 33 26 82
Greenland
Grenada 52 58 55 59
Guadeloupe 133
Guam 177
Guatemala 24 167 125 104 72 135 71 124 117 109 98 27
Guinea 25 146 174 176 9 144 84 152 162 145 118
Guinea-Bissau 21 98 178 182 33 101 92 154 140
Guyana 40 105 89 122 108 78 34 106 96 67
Haiti 17 173 177 185 4 82 70 151 157 135 147
Holy See 21
Honduras 23 121 107 135 90 165 112 107 91 59
Hong Kong 76 83 21 45 163 34 148 88 76
Hungary 53 25 51 42 59 33 47 71 24 45 46 67 85 21 42 56 62
Iceland 74 10 2 8 1 7 15 22 5 3 4
India 10 40 14 40 16 180 145 92 42 10 114 112 150 121 110 46 140
Indonesia 27 33 23 34 31 164 128 98 70 33 3 85 117 82 87 54 92
Iran 62 60 25 22 133 135 169 76 64 121 162 178 88 102 154 117
Iraq 23 169 129 173 8 157 172 115 117 124 126
Ireland 46 18 27 77 40 24 20 10 12 55 76 5 6 9 13 8 16
Isle of Man 132
Israel 35 63 57 40 27 30 22 62 86 49 31 29 13
Italy 30 19 26 56 25 23 6 36 17 28 30 33 58 25 22 34 36
Jamaica 44 72 84 78 110 53 12 83 57 42 56
Japan 45 17 28 73 43 25 21 15 19 39 102 16 71 19 9 16 58
Jordan 47 81 75 61 19 108 120 80 82 122 101
Kazakhstan 64 63 36 54 93 53 113 49 63 56 107 122 65 65 127 60
Kenya 32 148 142 139 40 152 100 69 118 115 94 121
Kiribati 54 110 89 50
Kosovo 41 133 39
Kuwait 42 87 74 93 58 112 113 158 101 55 111 51
Kyrgyzstan 27 126 67 156 136 87 72 48 83 116 86
Laos 31 149 138 174 168 146 161 111 140 159 105
Latvia 26 38 59 17 15 31 33 52 90 15 22 14 32 38 53
Lebanon 24 142 120 166 178 121 130 97 89 115 91
Lesotho 37 141 147 115 173 81 88 135 129 71 144
Liberia 26 174 168 168 104 94 75 158 146 86 141
Libya 17 114 190 16 155 143 126 151 72
Liechtenstein 25 17 10
Lithuania 11 35 62 8 31 27 23 27 169 17 9 39 29 39 42
Luxembourg 18 14 55 77 4 6 15 16 28 32 62 10 21 36 14 13 14
Madagascar 26 167 140 165 158 105 98 156 151 80 143
Malawi 34 97 136 99 10 79 80 145 125 76 150
Malaysia 57 24 47 53 130 87 49 65 58 82 113 72 54 40 80
Maldives 40 113 54 107 63 87 67 79
Mali 28 159 164 170 80 119 111 142 152 119 128
Malta 12 6 51 45 4 32 43 9 24 78 33 26 33 22
Marshall Islands 124 102 86
Martinique
Mauritania 30 165 146 172 149 138 97 132 155 108 122
Mauritius 50 77 49 47 143 50 64 89 47 21 57
Mayotte 13
Mexico 28 34 7 31 55 73 68 119 54 6 98 127 74 66 89 23
Micronesia 113 95 60 28
Moldova 39 84 62 112 59 40 46 51 69 71
Monaco 131
Mongolia 33 155 91 108 51 90 109 84 66 83
Montenegro 45 63 58 84 49 60 63 86 49 61 73
Montserrat 139
Morocco 8 9 38 6 160 116 121 36 12 23 136 135 84 100 95 89
Mozambique 26 144 149 167 185 94 116 143 147 117 123
Myanmar 23 179 166 177 96 135 176 103 137 166 131
Namibia 49 44 105 66 126 58 18 114 106 58 113
Nauru 116 161
Nepal 34 162 137 140 54 84 76 98 111 101 100
Netherlands 19 6 31 80 7 11 16 7 3 34 9 28 17 7 9 5
New Caledonia 189
New Zealand 35 15 33 87 39 26 8 6 39 46 80 2 11 26 15 2 8
Nicaragua 19 110 121 160 123 160 92 108 143 45
Niger 32 110 155 159 163 110 59 149 159 112 114
Nigeria 24 162 173 152 43 124 129 139 128 105 85
Niue 78
North Korea 17 169 195 42 180 165
North Macedonia 40 34 52 79 134 47 57 57 58 72 84
North Mariana Islands 123
Norway 6 3 43 84 18 20 3 1 5 13 2 11 1 4 1 1 3
Oman 44 149 101 103 106 134 163 81 80 125
Pakistan 27 176 162 147 55 61 146 157 125 139 107 67
Palau 118 116
Palestine 52 170 110 110
Panama 36 47 50 96 156 55 74 105 56 49 31
Papua New Guinea 30 175 157 132 34 75 62 144 148 74
Paraguay 28 93 69 161 74 53 72 96 91 76 77 63
Peru 36 101 81 88 67 105 56 77 58 67 75 65
Philippines 23 15 33 47 158 112 105 53 16 84 103 147 95 81 52 69
Poland 52 30 47 55 56 46 37 35 16 51 38 49 66 12 39 46 40
Portugal 16 12 34 62 9 48 5 24 18 37 24 7 20 24 28 66
Puerto Rico
Qatar 58 137 63 73 73 129 119 94 90 114 29
Réunion 138 106 124 126
Romania 36 20 46 52 39 63 47 18 111 56 30 43 48
Russian Federation 56 37 49 28 58 30 92 125 64 53 44 38 155 45 59 61 68
Rwanda 51 112 123 69 138 119 136 124 131 146 152
Saint Helena 181
Saint Lucia 55 53 73 68 35
Samoa 122 60 53 45
San Marino 23
Sao Tome – Principe 45 38 106 97 191 123 104
Saudi Arabia 63 32 58 51 57 109 113 74 51 61 35 159 166 96 101 150 28
Senegal 43 136 130 106 63 87 73 126 116 79 111
Serbia 36 79 66 90 109 69 79 35 45 68 70
Seychelles 70 32 48 40 99 44 13
Sierra Leone 34 140 172 164 102 46 146 141 96 129
Singapore 83 44 59 13 29 72 44 139 60 28 70 34
Sint Maarten 172
Slovakia 40 23 42 53 46 18 29 45 46 21 73 37 27 24 35 43 38
Slovenia 50 45 56 34 7 23 30 54 75 39 54 15 27 31 44
Solomon Islands 42 130 132 128 12 130
Somalia 12 183 186 155 158 140 160 165 112
South Africa 39 28 19 43 27 116 93 51 31 38 183 77 35 108 69 45 110
South Korea 60 24 61 63 48 63 38 28 10 60 140 30 43 27 17 24 54
South Sudan 13 192 19 128 163 169 156
Spain 34 20 37 60 30 27 19 26 13 25 176 31 32 16 21 23 30
Sri Lanka 36 132 85 95 110 146 76 74 60 130
St. Kitts – Nevis 91 118
St. Pierre – Miquelon
St. Vincent – Grenadines 60 36 44 76 58
Sudan 22 171 179 157 170 160 151 159 158 144
Suriname 40 70 98 150 27 68 52 62 64 48
Sweden 5 1 48 83 12 5 4 3 9 5 6 3 3 6 4 7
Switzerland 15 13 17 82 36 9 7 20 14 14 151 1 14 8 4 7 6
Syria 13 160 196 7 165 171 129 135 163 149
Taiwan 58 57 68 42 74 42 37 62 91 14 38 10
Tajikistan 24 117 115 158 160 141 152 78 120 156 74
Tanzania 38 134 143 130 116 123 130 123 92 153
Thailand 31 22 36 33 108 104 101 48 23 122 104 115 44 71 55 52
Timor-Leste 42 129 124 114 162 65 17 112 44
Togo 30 135 154 151 113 100 133 136 130 139
Tokelau 66
Tonga 80 77 137 49
Trinidad – Tobago 42 59 80 72 91 53 25 119 46 41 39
Tunisia 40 96 57 82 57 113 94 69 72 85 124
Turkey 41 29 53 36 50 172 82 123 69 36 97 130 149 71 88 103 79
Turkmenistan 19 118 94 179 140 177 99 118 161 87
Turks – Caicos Islands 1
Tuvalu 38 48
Uganda 26 125 165 163 57 130 118 132 136 144 99 136
Ukraine 20 4 33 41 52 70 126 61 17 166 89 106 37 52 87 133
United Arab Emirates 39 67 39 64 64 41 127 138 85 68 133 21
United Kingdom 7 5 10 73 14 2 28 11 4 4 20 24 11 19 18 15
United States 55 22 59 69 28 43 42 31 21 57 26 23 42 41 25 30 19
Uruguay 74 113 30 22 38 77 36 44 31 38 11 33
Uzbekistan 31 107 100 149 18 133 77 91 149 41
Vanuatu 48 119 97 85
Venezuela 14 67 126 188 101 163 159 120 114 147 108
Vietnam 43 39 42 44 178 108 131 56 42 115 132 174 55 77 138 94
Virgin Islands (British) 140
Virgin Islands (U.S.) 120
Wallis – Futuna
Western Sahara 145
Yemen 16 175 193 164 169 150 163 155 151
Zambia 33 106 148 109 60 154 109 109 140 134 78 138
Zimbabwe 23 69 151 153 146 151 137 131 132 132 146

CCP

Climate Change Performance Index

A ranking of climate mitigation efforts of 59 countries plus the EU, covering 90%+ of the global GHG emissions, assessing climate protection performance in four categories.

Source: Germanwatch, NewClimate Institute and Climate Action Network.
CDI

Commitment to Development Index

The index ranks 40 of the world’s most powerful countries on their dedication to policies, scoring the countries relative to their size and economic weight.

Source: Center for Global Development.
CEU

CCP Index – Energy Use

The ranking of primary energy consumption and performance of the countries listed in the CCP Index in assessing the countries’ climate protection performance.

Source: Germanwatch, NewClimate Institute and Climate Action Network.
CPI

Corruption Perceptions Index

The ranking of countries by their perceived levels of public sector corruption, generally defines corruption as an abuse of entrusted power for private gain.

Source: Transparency International.
CPP

CCP Index – Climate Policy Performance

A ranking of the performance of the countries in the CCP Index in terms of their climate policy in assessing the countries’ climate protection performance.

Source: Germanwatch, NewClimate Institute and Climate Action Network.
EPI

Environmental Performance Index

The scores and rankings provides a quantitative basis for comparing, analyzing and understanding the environmental progress and performance of 180 countries.

Source: Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy.
ESG

ESG Index

A ranking of 183 countries and territories encompassing three sub-indexes – environment, human rights, and health and safety – based on 65 variables measuring ESG risk exposure.

Source: Global Risk Profile.
GCl

Global Corruption Index

A ranking of 196 countries and territories measuring the state of corruption and white-collar crimes globally based on internationally recognized variables.

Source: Global Risk Profile.
GFI

Green Future Index

A ranking of 76 economies on their progress and commitment toward clean energy, industry, agriculture, and society through investment in renewables, innovation, and green policy.

Source: MIT Technology Review.
GHG

CCP Index – Greenhouse Gas Emissions

A ranking of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of the countries that together generate 90%+ of global greenhouse gas emissions, including land use, land-use change and forestry.

Source: Germanwatch, NewClimate Institute and Climate Action Network.
HDI

Human Development Index

The ranking of UN member states in terms of key dimensions of human development: a long and healthy life, being knowledgeable and having a decent standard of living.

Source: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
HFI

Human Freedom Index

A broad measure of human freedom in the world that encompasses personal, civil, and economic freedom, comprising 83 distinct indicators in 165 jurisdictions.

Source: Cato Institute and Fraser Institute.
SDR

Sustainable Development Report

A ranking and global assessment of the overall performance of all 193 UN member states and their progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Source: Cambridge University Press.
SPI

Social Progress Index

A multi-indicator index that assesses the social and environmental performance of 169 countries help them measure the social and environmental health of their societies.

Source: Social Progress Imperative.
WDI

World Democracy Index

An index measuring the state of democracy in 167 countries and territories focusing on pluralism, civil liberties, political culture, political institutions and freedoms.

Source: Economist Intelligence Unit.
WHR

World Happiness Report

A survey and ranking of the wellbeing and happiness of over 150 countries by how happy their citizens perceive themselves to be, correlates with quality-of-life factors.

Source: Sustainable Development Solutions Network.
WPF

World Press Freedom Index

A ranking of the freedom of journalism and censorship of the press, to compare the level of press freedom enjoyed by journalists and media in 180 countries and territories.

Source: Reporters Without Borders.