The push for sustainability in higher education has grown fast, with a record 2,540 colleges from 130 places taking part in the Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings 2025. This shows an 18% rise in schools joining, which shows their strong promise to the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Asia takes the lead
Asia still leads the way, with 1,311 universities giving data this year—up 25% from 2024. India has the most universities involved, with 148. Pakistan is next with 127, and the Philippines is in third place with 121 universities, which shows a big 95% rise.
Africa also shows a 25% increase, now with 287 schools in the rankings, making it the third-best area, just behind Asia and Europe.
New countries and growth
This year, 10 new nations joined the rankings, with schools from Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, El Salvador, Estonia, the Maldives, Namibia, Papua New Guinea, Senegal, and Zimbabwe taking part for the first time.
Many other nations, such as Angola, Azerbaijan, China, Indonesia, Kenya, and Libya, have seen a nice rise in universities joining.
SDG 4 (quality education) is still the top goal, with 1,991 universities sharing what they do.
SDG 3 (good health and well-being) is next, with 1,801 universities showing their work.
SDG 5 (gender equality) is third, with 1,566 universities involved.
Universities in Asia and Africa are leading in work on education, health, gender equality, and cutting poverty (SDG 1). At the same time, schools from Oceania and South America focus on peace and justice (SDG 16), while North American schools work on lowering inequality (SDG 10).
Tech review & big reveal in Istanbul
A new AI system has been used to check university data for the first time, helping with accuracy.
The big impact rankings for 2025 will be shown at the Global Sustainable Development Congress from June 16–19 in Istanbul, Turkey. This event will join school leaders, policymakers, and experts to talk about how to boost schools’ roles in global sustainability.
With more universities taking part each year, schools around the world are showing their promise to sustainability and global change. The results in June will show which schools are leading the way.
