Countries

Key developments:

Cutting emissions rapidly is key to tackling the climate crisis. Globally, emissions are still rising, but early 2025 data from China – the largest emitter – shows a drop in CO2 emissions.[1] Continuation of this trend would be a hopeful sign for the future.

Key results:

The table on the right details the performance of all countries surveyed in the CCPI’s four indicators comprising the GHG Emissions category.

• Pakistan and Luxembourg,are at the top, with Pakistan receiving a very high rating and Luxembourg receiving a high rating.
• United Arab Emirates, Iran, and Saudi Arabia are the worst performing countries.

G20-performance:

• Only two G20 countries – the United Kingdom and France – receive an overall high rating.
• Eight G20 countries are among the very low performers, including China, the United States, and Russia. Most G20 countries receive a low or very low.
• Saudi Arabia remains the worst performing G20 country in this category.

EU performance: 

• As in previous years, the EU rates medium for its overall performance.
• Luxembourg is the best performing EU country, and 10 countries rate high.
• No EU country receives a very low in this category and Latvia remains the worst-performing country.

[1] Carbon Brief, 2025, Analysis: Record solar growth keeps China`s CO2 falling in first half of 2025.

Key developments:

In 2024, over 580 GW of new renewable energy capacity was added worldwide, with solar accounting for the majority of the growth.[1] While this expansion is accelerating, it remains insufficient for achieving the global target of tripling renewables capacity by 2030.A rapid and complete phase-out of fossil fuels, including ending fossil fuel subsidies and no new fossil fuel extraction licenses, is critical.

Key results:

The table details the performance of all countries covered in the CCPI in the four indicators comprising the Renewable Energy category.

The energy sector greatly contributes to a country’s GHG emissions. Thus, the results of this rating indicate substantial room for improvement in mitigating emissions by deploying renewable energy more rapidly.

• Norway, Denmark, and Sweden receive a very high.
• South Africa, Iran, and Algeria are at the bottom.

G20-performance:

• Thirteen G20 countries rank low or very low, including Mexico, Saudi Arabia, and Russia.
• No G20 country receives a high.
• Brazil and China are the best-performing G20 countries, with an overall medium rating.

EU performance:

• The EU’s performance shows only a minor improvement over last year’s CCPI, as it rates medium.
• Following Sweden and Denmark’s very high ratings, Latvia, Finland, and Estonia receive a high.
• Slovakia is the only EU country that performs very low.

[1] IRENA, 2025. Delivering on the UAE Consensus.

*Increases in energy efficiency are, strictly speaking, complex to measure and require a sector-by-sector approach. With no available comparable data sources across all countries, the CCPI evaluates countries’ per-capita energy use to measure improvements in this category.

Key developments:

Global energy demand continues its upward trend, largely driven by the power sector. Increased electricity consumption in industry, transportation, and artificial intelligence, as well as higher demand for cooling due to extreme temperatures, are key contributing factors.[1]

Key results:

The table details the performance of all countries included in the CCPI in the four indicators comprising the Energy Use category.

• Only Pakistan receives a very high, followed by Nigeria and the United Kingdom.
• South Korea, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates are at the bottom.

G20-performance:

• Again, seven G20 countries perform very low.
• The United Kingdom, South Africa, and Germany perform high. All other G20 members rank medium or low.

EU performance: 

• As in previous years, the EU earns a medium.
• Estonia, Romania, Lithuania, and Germany are the only EU countries performing high, while Austria, Sweden, and Finland are very low.

[1] IEA, 2025. Growth in global energy demand surged in 2024 to almost twice its recent average.

Key developments:

Despite some visible achievements, current climate targets and their implementation are still not at a sufficient pace to keep global warming below 1.5°C. Most countries now have climate policies in place, though their effectiveness varies. The latest IPCC report highlights that the Paris Agreement has already helped prevent a considerable amount of greenhouse gas emissions.[1]

The Climate Policy indicators in CCPI 2026 assess national emissions policies and targets, but they also assess sectoral policies and targets and their specific implementation.

Key results:

The table on the right details the performance of all countries in the CCPI in the two indicators comprising the Climate Policy category.

• Denmark, Brazil, and Morocco are at the top and receive a high.
• The United States, Argentina, Hungary, and Iran are lowest.

G20 performance:

• Six G20 members receive a medium.
• Eleven of the G20 countries rate low or very low, with with Saudi Arabia, the United States, and Argentina as the worst performers.

EU performance:

• The EU falls slightly in this category but remains an overall medium performer.
• Most EU countries receive a low in this rating.
• Only Italy, Bulgaria, and Hungary remain as EU countries with very low performance.

[1] IPCC, 2022. Climate Change 2022. Mitigation of Climate Change.