Environmental Performance Index
Data driven reports for a sustainable future
EPI News and Insights
The 2026 EPI and COP31
As climate leaders gather in Antalya, Türkiye, for COP31 to discuss the roadmaps and plans needed to deliver the Paris Climate Change Agreement, it is vital that their decisions are guided by good data – data that show what is working, what is not, and where action is most urgently needed.
The full 2026 Environmental Performance Index (EPI) report, released November 6 and now available at the EPI website, highlights the policies and conditions driving meaningful progress, as well as persistent environmental failures.
The 2026 EPI ranks 177 countries across 47 indicators measuring how effectively they sustain ecosystems, mitigate climate change, and protect human health from environmental risks.
The full EPI report complements the data files and Technical Appendix released in July and includes deeper analysis of the report’s 12 issue categories and includes stories and data that can help cast light on the pathway ahead, including:
Estonia’s first-place ranking reflects major progress in decarbonizing its power sector, while Laos trails in last place as its industrialization goes unchecked.
Egypt improved its Sanitation & Drinking Water score by more than 10 points, supported by a World Bank–financed program connecting 233,238 rural households.
China reduced sulfur dioxide emissions by 13.2 million tonnes over a decade—five times the next-largest national reduction.
Belgium sits last in Fisheries because the state subsidized the beam trawlers that now make up most of its fleet.
Each case carries a lessons about where progress is possible, about strategies that failed, and about governments that took no action in the face of dire consequences.
A special chapter in the new report also explores artificial intelligence’s growing role in environmental measurement and policy. Roughly one-quarter of the EPI already relies on machine learning, including indicators tracking tree-cover loss, grassland conversion, and the stringency of marine protections. The report considers how AI can help close environmental data gaps —while emphasizing the safeguards necessary to use these tools responsibly and accurately.
The full EPI report also includes accessible methodological background: what each indicator measures, where the data originate, and the limitations users should consider.
Explore the results | Read the report (PDF)
November 10, 2026
About the Environmental Performance Index
Harnessing advances in data, science, and technology, the 2026 Environmental Performance Index (EPI) provides a comprehensive assessment of sustainability worldwide. The 2026 EPI ranks 177 countries on 47 indicators across 12 issue categories spanning three policy objectives: Environmental Health, Ecosystem Vitality, and Climate Change. These indicators provide a gauge at a national scale of how close countries are to established environmental policy targets. The EPI offers a scorecard that highlights leaders and laggards in environmental performance and provides practical guidance for countries that aspire to move toward a sustainable future.
EPI indicators provide a way to spot problems, set targets, track trends, understand outcomes, and identify best policy practices. Going beyond the aggregate scores and drilling down into the data to analyze performance by issue category, policy objective, peer group, and country offers even greater value for policymakers. This granular view and comparative perspective can assist in understanding the determinants of environmental progress and in refining policy choices.
Funding from the McCall MacBain Foundation supports the EPI work at both Yale and Columbia. The EPI research team is deeply grateful for this generous support.
Suggested Citation
Wendling, Z. A., Emerson, J. W., Esty, D. C., de Sherbinin, A., Block, S., et al. (2026). 2026 Environmental Performance Index. New Haven, CT: Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy. epi.yale.edu
EPI scores vs. GDP per capita
Scores in the 2026 EPI are highly correlated with country wealth (r = 0.69), but within any level of income, some countries outperform their peers while others underachieve.
2026 EPI Framework
The 2026 EPI Framework organizes 47 indicators into 12 issue categories across three policy objectives. The weight of each component is shown as a percentage of the next level of aggregation.
