Global Climate Change Performance Index 2026: India gets 23rd rank

The Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) 2026 has been released during the UN COP30 Climate Summit in Belém, Brazil. India’s climate performance ranking has seen a major decline, dropping 13 places to reach the 23rd position.

• India’s climate performance ranking has seen a major decline in the Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) 2026 released during the UN COP30 Climate Summit in Belém, Brazil, dropping 13 places to reach the 23rd position.

Main reason for India’s ranking decline

• A major reason for India’s ranking decline is the lack of a national plan to phase out coal, while it is among the world’s top coal producers.
• The report states that new coal blocks are still being auctioned, and there is no roadmap for phasing down coal, which is contrary to global climate targets.
• India, which was ranked 31st in 2014, entered the top 10 list for the first time in 2019.
• With a score of 61.31, India has fallen from last year’s “high performer” to this year’s “medium performer”, while continuing to remain a major producer of coal, oil and gas globally.

About the Global Climate Change Performance Index

• In the report jointly prepared by Germanwatch, NewClimate Institute and Climate Action Network, the absence of a national timeline to exit coal in India has been cited as a major reason behind the downgrade.
• The CCPI, published annually since 2005 by Germanwatch, NewClimate Institute and Climate Action Network, tracks countries’ efforts to tackle climate change.
• CCPI is an annual global monitoring tool that evaluates the climate mitigation performance of 63 countries and the European Union, which together account for more than 90% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
• It evaluates countries based on four main areas,
• Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions
• Renewable energy development
• Energy use
• Climate policy

The top 3 places in the 2026 index are empty. The highest ranked countries

• 4th: Denmark (80.52)
• 5th: Morocco (70.75)
• 6th: United Kingdom (70.8)

Countries at the bottom of the list

• 64th: Russian Federation
• 65th: USA (21.84)
• 66th: Iran (14.33)
• 67th: Saudi Arabia (11.9)

Global city population growth

• According to the United Nations, global city population growth is expected to increase from India and six other countries, adding more than 500 million urban residents between 2025 and 2050.
• The World Urbanization Prospects 2025 report states that 45 percent of the world’s 8.2 billion people now live in cities. India, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Bangladesh and Ethiopia will together contribute to more than half of the estimated increase in city dwellers.
• India and China alone have nearly 1.2 billion urban residents. Mega-cities have increased from eight in 1975 to 33 in 2025, of which 19 are in Asia, and are projected to reach 37 by 2050. The UN emphasizes that sustainable urban planning in these countries is essential for global development and climate goals.

Top most populated cities in the world

• 1 Tokyo Japan 37,036,200
• 2 Delhi India 34,665,600
• 3 Shanghai China 30,482,100
• 4 Dhaka Bangladesh 24,652,900
• 5 Cairo Egypt 23,074,200
• 6 São Paulo Brazil 22,990,000