The most and least sustainable countries

Climate change is a growing global concern and more and more countries are seeing the effects of extreme weather, from droughts to sea-level rise. To combat these changes, 195 parties have committed to reducing emissions and becoming carbon neutral by 2050 by signing the UN Paris Climate Agreement. However, some countries have been pulling their weight more than others.

Experts from several global groups have used different metrics to measure a country's environmental impact, resulting in various rankings. Some of these include U.S. News' Green Living Ranking, the Green Future Index (GFI), which focuses on countries' clean energy transition, and the UN Sustainable Development Report, which tracks climate, environment and human rights goals. Yale University's Environmental Performance Index (EPI), which uses 40 indicators to rank the level of sustainability for 180 countries, is one of the most comprehensive. New rankings in almost all of these metrics were released in 2024, highlighting the latest countries at the top and bottom of the sustainability pyramid.

Top 3 most sustainable countries

Estonia

Estonia ranked the highest in the 2024 EPI, jumping from 14th place in 2022. The rapid climb is because of Estonia's "40% drop in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions over the last decade, largely attributed to replacing dirty oil shale power plants with cleaner energy sources," said a Yale News press release. "The country is drafting a proposal to achieve by 2040 a CO2-neutral energy sector and a CO2-neutral public transport network in bigger cities." Estonia also has a "large coverage of protected areas" that are "strategically located to represent a large fraction of the country's ecosystems and biodiversity," said the EPI report.

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The country ranked highest in climate change policy in the EPI and ranked 7th in ecosystem vitality. It also ranked 15th in the UN Sustainable Development Report and 34th in the Green Living Ranking, but was not included in the GFI. The country's agri-tech sector "stands as a beacon of innovation, integrating sustainable farming practices with advanced technology to meet the global challenges of food security and environmental responsibility," said PR Newswire.

Luxembourg

Luxembourg came in 2nd place in the 2024 EPI, jumping from 6th place in 2022. The country stood out because over 55% of its land is "covered by protected areas," and it is also a "world leader in wastewater management," said the report. The Luxembourg government has also set specific targets to hit by 2030 including "to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 55% compared to 2005, to achieve a 35-37% share of renewable energies in final energy consumption, to improve energy efficiency by 44% and to strengthen targets for renewable energy and energy efficiency," said the government website.

The country ranked first in the ecosystem vitality factor of the EPI and 10th in climate change policy. It also ranked 16th in the Green Future Index, 15th in the Green Living Ranking and 38th in the Sustainable Development Report. "While Luxembourg has one of the largest percentages of protected area coverage in the world, it earns among the lowest scores in the pilot indicators of protected area effectiveness," said the EPI report. "Nearly 30% of all the land under protection in Luxembourg is covered by croplands and buildings."

Germany

Germany was ranked third in the 2024 EPI, jumping from 13th in 2022. The country "outperforms other large economies thanks to its fast deployment of renewable energy (slashing its GHG emissions by almost a fifth in the last 10 years), its vast network of protected areas (which exceed 30% coverage of Germany's land and seas) and its leadership in solid waste management," said the EPI report. Germany also "pioneered pesticide-free, non-organic agricultural systems that are easier for farmers to adopt than fully organic agriculture and have smaller associated yield losses."

Germany was ranked third in the EPI, jumping from 13th in 2022. The country "outperforms other large economies thanks to its fast deployment of renewable energy (slashing its GHG emissions by almost a fifth in the last 10 years), its vast network of protected areas (which exceed 30% coverage of Germany's land and seas) and its leadership in solid waste management," said the EPI report. Germany also "pioneered pesticide-free, non-organic agricultural systems that are easier for farmers to adopt than fully organic agriculture and have smaller associated yield losses."

The country ranked 2nd in ecosystem vitality and 7th in climate change policy within the EPI. It also ranked 4th in the Sustainable Development Report, 11th in the Green Future Index and 8th in the Green Living Ranking. Another area where Germany succeeds is tourism. "Tourism officials would like you to think that green vacations in eastern Germany are a new thing, but a closer look at what's happening suggests they are woven into almost every aspect of the visitor experience — and have been for a while," said Forbes.

Top 3 least sustainable countries

Laos

Laos ranked 178th in the 2024 EPI, dropping from 149 in 2022. The stark drop is largely attributed to the "staggering 444% increase in carbon dioxide emissions over the last decade," said the report. "Historically, Laos has relied on hydroelectric power for its energy needs," however, between 2015 and 2021, "coal-generated electricity in the country increased by 426%."

The country came in last place for climate change policy and also ranked toward the bottom in environmental health. It ranked 119th in the Sustainable Development Report but was not included in the GFI or the Green Living Ranking. Despite its energy struggles, the country has launched the Global Gateway flagship with Europe, which "seeks to further cooperation in reducing deforestation and promoting sustainable land use," specifically focusing on "coffee, tea and forest-based value chains, and connectivity to markets," said the European Commission.

Pakistan

Pakistan ranked second to last at 179 in the 2024 EPI, dropping from 176 in 2022. Like Laos, Pakistan is very reliant on fossil fuels. "Coal-powered electricity generation has increased almost fivefold over the last decade, leading to a nearly 30% increase in GHG emissions and severe levels of air pollution," said the EPI report. The country has already been facing severe consequences from climate change, such as excessive flooding.

Pakistan ranked near the very bottom for both ecosystem vitality and environmental health in the EPI. The country also ranked 137th in the Sustainable Development Report and 67th in the GFI, but was not included in the Green Living Ranking. Some strides are already being made to improve. The International Finance Corporation (IFC) is providing up to $35 million in equity and debt financing "to help establish Pakistan's first greenfield sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) facility, which will convert thousands of tons of used cooking oil and other waste oils into aviation fuel, helping to reduce global emissions," said the IFC.

Vietnam

Vietnam came in last place in the 2024 EPI at 180, dropping from 178th in 2022. "Vietnam faces a broad range of environmental challenges," said the EPI report. "Its increasing reliance on coal power generation has led to rapidly growing emissions of air pollutants and greenhouse gases." The country's economy has grown significantly in the past decade, causing increased use of fossil fuels. The government has recognized the need for renewable energy and aims to be carbon neutral by 2050.

The country ranked 60th in the Green Living Ranking, 54th in the Sustainable Development Report and 53rd in the GFI. "Vietnam has implemented policies to accelerate the deployment of solar and wind energy, but its electric distribution grid has struggled to adapt to these intermittent energy sources," said the report. However, it has since partnered with Singapore to create parks that will become "low-carbon, high-tech industrial hubs, aligning with Vietnam's aspirations for sustainable development," said Vietnam Briefing.

Where does the US rank?

The U.S. ranked 34th in the 2024 EPI, up from 43rd in 2022; 22nd in the Green Living Ranking, down from 20th in 2023; 46th in the Sustainable Development Report, down from 29th in 2023; and 19th in the GFI — which is lower than some may have anticipated when compared to other developed nations.

The U.S. is the second largest greenhouse gas emitter in the world, but emissions are starting to fall. However, they may not be falling quickly enough, according to the EPI report. "As the world's largest economy and largest historical contributor to climate change, the 6.4% GHG emission reduction the country achieved over the last decade is woefully insufficient," said the report.

The U.S. also still heavily relies on fossil fuels, which cause considerable environmental damage. While the Biden administration has taken significant strides to improve sustainability, like in passing the Inflation Reduction Act, emissions data is yet to reflect it. And with another Trump administration on the horizon, many efforts to combat climate change will likely see reductions.

Are there any patterns in the data?

The rankings show that just as climate change disproportionately impacts some regions, the ability to improve or prevent it is also disproportionate. Almost all of the top-ranked countries on every list are smaller European countries, which have fewer problems with resources and more money to invest in green legislation.

On the other hand, the bottom-ranked countries were largely located in South and Southeast Asia, where "countries have increasingly relied on coal — the dirtiest fossil fuel — to power their rapidly growing economies, resulting in skyrocketing GHG emissions and some of the highest air pollution levels in the world, which harm public health and degrade ecosystems," said the EPI report. Many are also classified as developing nations that are predominantly made up of people of color, and have far higher populations than their European counterparts. Despite the rankings, China and the U.S. are still the two largest polluters on the planet.