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Environment and economy

Greenest and cleanest countries

Air quality, water, waste and climate policy, measured as one score.

Yale Environmental Performance Index2026 edition, 177 countries

Air quality is a health decision, not a lifestyle one, and it is the factor people most often notice only after arriving with a child or an asthma diagnosis.

  1. 1st place

    Estonia

    1st

    EPI placing

    Cut power-sector emissions faster than any other country in the index

  2. 2nd place

    Luxembourg

    2nd

    EPI placing

  3. 3rd place

    United Kingdom

    3rd

    EPI placing

The rest of the top 10

Ranked list, positions 4 to 10
RankCountryEPI placing
4th place
Finland
4th
5th place
Netherlands
5th
6th place
Germany
6th
7th place
France
7th
8th place
Norway
8th
9th place
Sweden
9th
10th place
Austria
10th

Source

Yale Environmental Performance Index

2026 edition, 177 countries

See the full published list

This is information, not legal or immigration advice. Rules and figures change without notice. Confirm anything you plan to act on with the official authority for that country, and check your own position with the eligibility checker.

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All rankings

Fastest growing economies

Where GDP is expanding quickest, and where new work is being created.

  1. 1Guyana16.2 percent
  2. 2Ethiopia9.2 percent
  3. 3Guinea8.7 percent
  4. 4Bhutan7.5 percent
  5. 5Uganda7.5 percent
  6. 6Rwanda7.2 percent
  7. 7Vietnam7.1 percent
  8. 8Benin7.0 percent
  9. 9Libya6.7 percent
  10. 10Niger6.7 percent
Top 10 countries2026 projections

Best countries to live in

The overall ranking, scored on life expectancy, education and income together.

  1. 1Iceland0.972
  2. 2Norway0.970
  3. 3Switzerland0.970
  4. 4Denmark0.962
  5. 5Germany0.959
  6. 6Sweden0.959
  7. 7Australia0.958
  8. 8Hong Kong0.955
  9. 9Netherlands0.955
  10. 10Belgium0.951
Top 10 countries2026 report

Best cities to live in

City-level liveability, because a country score hides how different two of its cities can be.

  1. 1Copenhagen98.0
  2. 2Vienna97.1
  3. 3Melbourne97.0
  4. 4Sydney96.6
  5. 5Zurich96.4
  6. 6Geneva96.1
  7. 7Osaka96.0
  8. 8Adelaide95.9
  9. 9Vancouver95.8
  10. 10Tokyo95.7
Top 10 cities2026 edition, 173 cities