Times Higher Education (THE) was among the very first ranking bodies to incorporate the SDGs into its ranking methodology. For six years now, it has published a separate ranking solely dedicated to acknowledging the efforts of institutions working towards achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
This year’s edition of the rankings has witnessed plenty of changes and a notable expansion, with a total of 2,152 universities submitting their data to be ranked. While last year’s chart featured 1,591 universities from 112 countries, this year’s included 1,963.
Methodology
For the Impact Rankings, Times Higher Education selects the three top SDG scores for every university, allocating a weight of 26% for each. The remaining 22% is reserved for SDG17, representing institutional efforts towards global collaborations and partnerships. THE uses a broad set of indicators to assess universities within these charts; research, stewardship, outreach and teaching.
To read the full methodology for this ranking, please visit THE’s website here.
THE Top 10
Australian universities took over the top 10 table this year with three universities within the top five and a total of four within the top 10. For the third consecutive year, Western Sydney University clinched the number one spot on the ranking. In second spot, University of Manchester maintained its position this year, tying in with the University of Tasmania. It’s worth noting that the Australian latter rose from fifth place to second this year, with a remarkable score increase of 1.9. Aalborg University also improved its rank on this year’s table, rising from ninth place to fourth. RMIT University, previously in seventh place, rose to fifth, marking yet another improvement for Australian universities.
Also up from seventh place last year is University of Alberta, taking over sixth spot. Meanwhile, UNSW Sydney and University of Exeter both jumped from the 18th rank in 2023 to seventh and 10th respectively in 2024, with an impressive three-point increase in score in a single year. In eighth place and ninth place, Queen’s University and Arizona State University (Tempe) both dropped a few ranks from the previous year, albeit with a score difference of barely 0.1 points compared to 2023.
It seems evident that the overall average score of many universities has increased. With more universities intensifying their efforts towards different SDG goals, a more promising higher education landscape seems to be emerging.
Well-Represented Countries
Middle-income countries continue to be increasingly engaged in working towards the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals. Overall, most countries have increased their presence, achieving a rank for a larger number of universities than last year. This year, Russia slipped from being the most represented country to being the fourth most represented, with India taking the lead and Turkey and Pakistan following closely after. India’s representation was truly unmatched this year with 96 institutions making it to the chart. Turkey and Pakistan each secured around 90 institutions, 91 and 89 respectively. Similarly, Thailand has improved its representation, while Japan maintained approximately the same count of universities within this chart.
New entrants to the list of countries with more than 30 universities in the rankings, like Algeria, the Philippines, and Saudi Arabia, indicate a broader geographic spread of sustainable goals.
Australia emerges as a standout leader with the most top positions across Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly excelling in SDG 14 (Life Below Water) and Life on Land. Following closely, the United Kingdom demonstrates significant achievements across SDGs 4 (Quality Education), 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), and 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions). The United States and Canada also showcase strong performances in critical areas such as SDGs 13 (Climate Action), 14 (Life Below Water), and 4 (Quality Education). Meanwhile, Germany leads in SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), tying for the highest number of top spots.
Universities and countries worldwide are using their expertise to promote a sustainable and fair future, making meaningful progress through education, research, and innovative initiatives that benefit both people and the planet.
Regionally, here are the Arab universities that made it within the top 10 of each SDG:
– For SDG 1: No Poverty
King Faisal University, Saudi Arabia – Rank 10
– For SDG 4: Quality Education
Ahlia University, Bahrain – Rank 10
– For SDG 5: Gender Equality
Al Ain University, United Arab Emirates – Rank 5
– For SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
Arab Academy for Science, Technology & Maritime Transport, Egypt – Rank 6
King Faisal University, Saudi Arabia – Rank 9
Benha University, Egypt – Rank 10
– For SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Saudi Arabia – Rank 7
United Arab Emirates University, United Arab Emirates – Rank 10
Institutions from the Arab World
While last year’s Impact Rankings included 196 universities from the Arab world, this years charts included a total of 292, marking a huge increase in Arab participation. In general, and with the exception of Tunisia, all Arab countries witnessed an upward shift in numbers of universities ranked, with the fastest risers being Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia. Furthermore, the list saw four new entrants from the Arab world: Libya, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen. The country with highest number of institutions on the list was Iraq, with 71. Meanwhile, Algeria witnessed the highest increase with 19 new universities ranked.
While only 10 Arab universities made it to the top 200 of this chart, it is still a notable improvement from seven universities last year. King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals from Saudi Arabia; Al Ain University from the United Arab Emirates; and King Faisal University from Saudi Arabia all ranked within the top 100, achieving strikingly high scores of 90.3, 89.8, and 89.3 respectively. And lastly, the following universities ranked within the [101-200] bracket:
– Ahlia University, Bahrain
– American University of the Middle East, Kuwait
– Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Saudi Arabia
– King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Saudi Arabia
– Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University, Saudi Arabia
– Qatar University, Qatar
– University of Tunis El Manar, Tunisia
