Climate ranking shows: The world is making progress, but the US and other Petrostates are resisting change
Germanwatch, NewClimate Institute, and CAN International publish the 21st edition of the Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI 2026): Denmark remains at the top, followed by UK and Morocco. Petrostates rank at the bottom: Saudi Arabia, Iran and USA. Dynamics in many G20 countries not yet strong enough.
Belém (18 Nov 2025). Ten years after the Paris Agreement, progress is clearly visible: Global per capita emissions are falling, renewable energies are growing massively, and more than 100 countries now have their own climate targets for net-zero emissions. However, the pace is still too slow to meet the Paris climate targets. The Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) published today by Germanwatch and the NewClimate Institute also paints this ambivalent picture.
As in previous years, the top three ranks remain vacant. Countries must accelerate climate action to align with the Paris Agreement’s temperature limit. Denmark remains the top-ranked country (4th). It ranks first in climate policy and is among the only three countries that achieve a very high rating in the field of renewable energies – the country is a leader in offshore energy. Denmark is followed by the United Kingdom (5th), which has climbed one place compared to last year. Overall, the country’s years of climate policy efforts are paying off – for example the UK already had the coal phase-out last year. However, the country still has some catching up to do, especially when it comes to renewable energy (ranked ‘low‘). Morocco (6th) scores ‘good’ in all categories except renewable energies, where the trend is nevertheless ‘good’. The country still has very low per capita emissions and impresses with major investments in public transport and a respectable new climate target for 2035.
Niklas Höhne (NewClimate Institute), author of the CCPI: “While we cannot yet attest to any country having very good climate mitigation performance overall, there are pioneers in some categories who are demonstrating ambitious performance. Pakistan, for example, is a surprise contender in terms of emissions and energy consumption thanks to its very low per capita figures. As in previous years, Norway, Denmark and Sweden are setting the standards in renewable energies.”
In contrast, there are the countries that perform worst in the ranking. The three last-placed countries in the CCPI are Saudi Arabia (67th), Iran (66th), and the USA (65th). Thea Uhlich (Germanwatch), author of the CCPI: “The USA has suffered a particularly remarkable decline – ranking third to last in the overall standings just behind Russia. The largest oil- and gas-producing countries are virtually among themselves and show no sign of departing from fossil fuels as a business model. This means they are missing out on an opportunity to embrace the future.”
G20 countries: Only one good – ten very weak
“There is positive momentum for renewable energies and electrification worldwide. However, we also see a worrying picture among the major emitters – the G20 countries – with only one country in the ‘high’ category and ten in the ‘very low’ category,” says Uhlich. Although the G20 countries are responsible for more than 75 percent of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and have a special responsibility, only one G20 country, the UK, achieves a ‘high‘ rating in the ranking. It is particularly worrying that ten G20 countries are still classified as ‘very low‘ (Turkey, China, Australia, Japan, Argentina, Canada, Korea, Russia, USA, Saudi Arabia), followed by three more in the low category: South Africa, Indonesia, and Italy.
The largest carbon emitter, China (54th), has improved by one place but – despite the dynamics on the way to the first electro state – still has a very low rating. Only in the area of climate policy is China achieving a ‘high‘.
In the first quarter of 2025, China’s emissions declined – this could be an indication that emissions in China have peaked. Although China is a pioneer in green technologies – there is an ongoing boom in electric cars, batteries and renewable energies – and has set a relatively ambitious climate target, it is simultaneously expanding its fossil fuel production. It is important for China that the expansion of renewable energy and e-mobility goes hand in hand with the phase-out of fossil fuels, not only to prevent emissions from rising further, but also to bring them down quickly.
India (23th), one of the largest emitters, is one of the biggest faller in this year’s ranking, landing in the ‘medium‘ category. Jan Burck (Germanwatch), author of the CCPI: “The decline in the ranking is due to a combination of factors. India ranks last in terms of emissions trends, as emissions have been rising steadily in recent years. At the same time, energy consumption is increasing. India has also lost many places in climate policy rankings mainly due to its lack of a plan to phase out coal or even a concrete phase-out date. If India will reduce the building of new coal power plants and continues the promising trend for renewables, the country can achieve a much better ranking again next year.”
