Canada and UK lead the way in sustainability rankings

The University of Toronto is the top ranked university in the QS World University Rankings: Sustainability 2025 for the second year in a row, ahead of ETH Zurich, Switzerland, in second, and Lund University in Sweden and University of California, Berkeley in joint third.

They are followed in the top 10 in joint fifth by UCL, United Kingdom, and University of British Columbia, Canada; in joint 7th by Imperial College, London and University of Edinburgh, both in the UK; and in joint ninth is the University of Manchester, UK, and the University of Melbourne, Australia.

President of the University of Toronto Meric Gertler said:“We are thrilled that our university is once again ranked 1st in the world in the QS Sustainability Rankings. The U of T community is profoundly committed to the advancement of sustainability as one of the most urgent challenges of our time. This year’s ranking confirms our resolve to help lead the way to a sustainable future.”

The United Kingdom had four entries in the top 10, including UCL, which has risen from =189th last year to fifth, according to QS-supplied data. Switzerland’s ETH Europe also rose strongly from 18th to second.

The UK has 26 universities in the top 100 globally and more top 10 universities than any other country or territory.

The University of California, Berkeley remains the top-ranked US institution, placing joint third. However, the country’s average overall score trails much of Europe and Australasia.

A ‘wider understanding’ of the global picture

Ben Sowter, QS vice-president, said: “In the third iteration of the QS Sustainability Rankings, a significant increase in data shared with our experts means we have a wider understanding of the global picture.”

He conceded that this, along with the evolving data on sustainability, has resulted in some fluctuations in the 2025 ranking. UCL’s extraordinary leap in position by 184 places was by no means unique. There were numerous others.

In the Top 50 alone, Stanford (US) also jumped from =148 to =19th, KU Leuven (Netherlands) jumped from =314th to 25th, Johns Hopkins (US) jumped from =259th to 35th and Université Paris-Saclay leapt from =201st to =39th.

QS’ methodology for the World University Rankings: Sustainability 2025 is based on university performance across three assessment categories:

• environmental impact (aggregating three lenses of environmental sustainability, environmental education, and environmental research);

• social impact (aggregating five lenses of equality, knowledge exchange, impact of education, employability & outcomes, and health & wellbeing);

• governance (considering factors related to good governance, including ethics, hiring practices, transparency, and decision-making).

This year’s evaluation features 1,744 universities across 107 countries and territories – an increase of more than 1,000 institutions since the inaugural rankings in 2022. The United States is the most represented, with 239 ranked institutions, followed by Mainland China with 114 and the UK with 99.

Jessica Turner, CEO of QS, said: “The QS Sustainability Rankings support the higher education sector’s transition to sustainable practices by promoting transparency, impactful research, equality, and climate mitigation.

“By assessing institutions across environmental, social, and governance (ESG) categories with a focus on external impact, the rankings catalyse ideas, actions, and engagement, fostering positive change in higher education.”

Regional results

Seven African universities feature in the top 500, with six located in South Africa, while Cairo University ranks 370. The University of Cape Town takes Africa’s highest rank, placing 45.

In the Arab region, four countries saw significantly more institutions ranked, with Kuwait having 67% more universities ranked, compared with Saudi Arabia (43%), the United Arab Emirates (40%) and Jordan (27%). However, the top-ranked institutions were Lebanon’s American University of Beirut (205th), followed by King Abdulaziz University, Saudi Arabia, 149th and Qatar University at joint 291st.

Six Asian universities from four countries make the top 100. The University of Tokyo, ranked 44, is the region's highest-placed institution, although it has dropped 22 places year-on-year. Both Singapore and South Korea boast two universities in the top 100.

China boasts 114 ranked universities, led by Fudan in 133rd place, while India has 78 ranked universities, led by IIT Delhi in 171st place.

Despite having the second-highest number of entries, no Mainland Chinese university is in the top 100. Fudan University, the country's top performer, ranks 133 after climbing nine places.

Sowter pointed to sharp contrasts in Chinese universities’ performance in different areas.

“Its universities shine in knowledge exchange and employability, reflecting their world-class education, research, and global standing.

"However, significant challenges persist in indicators related to diversity, access and inclusivity, health and well-being, and the impact of education.

“This suggests that China could place greater emphasis on prioritising student support, improving accessibility, and enhancing teaching quality in socially impactful disciplines such as education and law,” he said.

Australian universities warned

Australia has 14 institutions in the top 100. Among them, Queensland University of Technology is the only one to climb the table, while the top performer, the University of Melbourne, remains stable in ninth.

QS warned that the absence of any Australian university in the top 100 globally for the environmental research lens could potentially impact its ability to attract Chinese students.

It is notable that Western Sydney University, which ranked first in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings released in June, only ranks 139th in the QS rankings, which raises interesting questions about differences of focus and methodology in the two rankings, which broadly both cover sustainability/sustainable development.

Canada ‘leading the way’

With the University of Toronto remaining the world’s number one and the University of British Columbia placing fifth, Canada has more universities in the top five than any other country or territory.

Sowter said Canadian institutions are continuing to achieve outstanding results. “We already know that 78% of universities are measuring their greenhouse gas emissions and 56% will become net-zero prior to 2050.

“Our analysis allows Canadian institutions to benchmark their developments against global competitors and highlights where improvements can be made. Universities across the country inspire the global higher education system – something which educators in Canadian society should be very proud of.”

Sweden’s Lund University has also made significant progress, climbing from eighth to joint third thanks to improvements in environmental education.

All eight of New Zealand's universities are featured, giving the country the highest average score in the rankings. All are among the top 500. The University of Auckland remains the national leader, ranking 17th globally.

In Latin America and the Caribbean, Brazil is the most represented country, with 42 featured universities, followed by Chile with 21 and Mexico with 19. Universidade de São Paulo is the region’s highest-ranked university, placing 70th, followed by Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México at 145th and Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile at 168th.

Students back sustainability efforts

QS research has found that international students want to see sustainability efforts at the universities they are applying to. The QS Iternational Student Survey 2024 found that nine in 10 students say they consider sustainability important and 40% of prospective students research universities’ sustainability strategy while applying for university.

Some 64% of international student respondents in the QS International Sustainability Student Survey 2024 said that impactful sustainable research is the number one factor for students when choosing a university

Turner said: “For today’s brand-conscious students, universities represent lifelong affiliations tied to identity and social awareness. This shift highlights how students increasingly evaluate social and environmental impact alongside academic excellence.”

Detailed methodological information can be found at QS Sustainability Rankings – QS Quacquarelli Symonds.