Estonia tops global Environmental Performance Index

Estonia has topped the 2026 Environmental Performance Index, a biennial ranking by Yale and Columbia Universities that evaluates 177 nations on environmental health and sustainability.

The Baltic nation was highlighted for a “dramatic reduction” in greenhouse gas emissions. Luxembourg and the United Kingdom rounded out the top 3.

The report shows Europe leading globally on renewables and pollution control. Japan is the only non-European country in the top 20, at 16th. Australia came in at 25th, followed by the US at 27th. India and Bangladesh ranked above Laos, which sits last on the index.

The EPI scores countries on 47 indicators, from emissions and air quality to forest, fishery, and farmland management. It finds progress on pollution has been made worldwide.

But the central warning is on climate. Few countries are on track for net-zero by 2050. “To maintain a trajectory toward net-zero emissions by 2050, they will need to continually achieve large emissions reductions, which will require additional policies in the future,” said lead author Zach Wendling.