Muscat – Oman has climbed six places to rank 49th globally among 177 countries in the 2026 Environmental Performance Index (EPI), reinforcing its progress in environmental sustainability and climate action.

The latest ranking follows a sharp improvement in recent years. Oman moved to 55th place in 2024, up from 149th in 2022, marking one of the fastest rises in the index.

The 2026 EPI assesses 177 countries using 47 indicators across 12 issue categories, covering three broad policy objectives – Environmental Health, Ecosystem Vitality and Climate Change.

Oman ranked second in the GCC and the Arab world, behind the UAE, which placed 42nd globally. The result reflects the sultanate’s continued efforts to strengthen environmental protection and the sustainable management of natural resources.

The improvement has been driven by national policies focused on climate action, biodiversity conservation, air quality, renewable energy expansion, the circular economy and wider environmental sustainability initiatives aligned with the objectives of Oman Vision 2040.

The EPI, produced jointly by Yale University and Columbia University in the United States biennially, is regarded as one of the world’s leading benchmarks for measuring national environmental performance. It evaluates countries across a broad range of indicators related to climate change, environmental health and ecosystem vitality.

The progress in Oman has been attributed to the efforts of the Environment Authority, in collaboration with other government entities responsible for environmental policy and sustainability.

Globally, Estonia topped the 2026 rankings, driven largely by a sharp reduction in greenhouse gas emissions following the closure of its oil shale-fired power plants in 2019. Luxembourg, the United Kingdom, Finland and the Netherlands completed the top five.

Outside Europe, Japan ranked 16th, followed by Australia (25th), the United States (27th) and Canada (29th). Among major emerging economies, Brazil ranked highest at 50th, followed by Russia (89th), South Africa (111th) and China (129th).

India placed 176th, the second-lowest position in the index. Alongside India, a number of South Asian and sub-Saharan African nations face severe challenges across a range of issues. Laos finished last out of 177 countries. Bangladesh, Mali and Vietnam round out the bottom five.

Common pressures facing these nations include unsafe air and water, as well as mounting ecosystem stress from agriculture, deforestation and climate change impacts.

Wealth is a strong predictor of environmental performance, the reported stated. High-income countries score dramatically better than low-income countries on nearly every indicator. This correlation is partly due to their capacity to invest in environmental infrastructure and better governance.