Science, Discovery, Tech and Environment · 1 August 2026
Environmental Performance Index (EPI) 2026: Estonia Tops Global Rankings, India Ranked 176th
Exam-focused facts from the 1 August 2026 current affairs briefing.
Key facts
- The 2026 Environmental Performance Index (EPI) evaluates 177 nations across 47 metrics and 12 key issue categories related to climate change, ecosystem vitality, and environmental public health.
- Estonia topped the 2026 EPI with an overall score of 74.79.
- The EPI is developed by the Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy, Columbia University’s Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN), and the Yale Center for Geospatial Solutions.
- India ranked 176th out of 177 countries in the 2026 EPI with an overall score of 22.46.
- India recorded a score of -3.92 for tree cover loss in key biodiversity areas.
- Five European countries occupied the top five positions in the 2026 EPI rankings.