Top 10 · environment
Top 10 countries by environmental performance
Composite environmental performance index. Yale Environmental Performance Index data, latest year 2026, covering 177 countries.
The top 10
1st of 177 · 2026
Estonia74.8 score
- 2ndLuxembourg74.2 score
- 3rdUnited Kingdom71.5 score
- 4thFinland71 score
- 5thNetherlands70.5 score
- 6thGermany69.9 score
- 7thFrance69.8 score
- 8thNorway69.2 score
- 9thSweden69.2 score
- 10thAustria66.8 score
The other end · bottom 5 of 177
- 173rdVietnam23.8 score
- 174thMali23.6 score
- 175thBangladesh23.5 score
- 176thIndia22.5 score
- 177thLaos21.8 score
Where the big countries land
- 27thUnited States58.5 score
- 129thChina33.9 score
- 50thBrazil48.3 score
Common questions
Questions people ask about environmental performance
Which country ranks highest for environmental performance?
Estonia ranks 1st of 177 countries at 74.8 score (2026 data). Source: Yale Environmental Performance Index.
Which countries are in the top 10 for environmental performance?
The top 10 are Estonia, Luxembourg, United Kingdom, Finland, Netherlands, Germany, France, Norway, Sweden and Austria — computed from Yale Environmental Performance Index data, latest year 2026.
Where does the United States rank in environmental performance?
The United States ranks 27th of 177 countries at 58.5 score (2026 data). Source: Yale Environmental Performance Index.
What is the median environmental performance worldwide?
Across the 177 countries covered, the median is 40.7 score. Values run from 74.8 score (Estonia, ranked 1st) to 21.8 score (Laos, ranked 177th).
Is environmental performance higher in Europe or the US?
The median across 40 European countries is 61.7 score, against 58.5 score in the United States — it is higher in Europe. Source: Yale Environmental Performance Index.
Which country ranks lowest for environmental performance?
Laos sits at the other end of the list: 21.8 score ranks 177th of 177 (2026 data). Source: Yale Environmental Performance Index.
Keep ranking
Keep exploring
More on environment
- CO₂ emissionsEnergy-related carbon dioxide emissions per person, tonnes.
- Renewable energyRenewables' share of final energy consumption.
- Air pollution (PM2.5)Population-weighted exposure to fine particles (PM2.5).
- Forest coverageShare of land area covered by forest.
- Life expectancyPeriod life expectancy at birth.
- Homicide rateDeaths by assault per 100,000 population.
Who leads the world
- Monacotops life expectancy86.5 years
- Singaporetops homicide rate0.1 per 100k
- Bulgariatops paid maternity leave59 weeks
Estonia leads on environmental performance — see where it lands on every other measure, and which US state it most resembles.
From the blog: Pinned snapshots: when we deliberately don't auto-refresh
All 68 measures →Every country ranked →Every US state →All the Top 10s →The overall board →How we read the data →