Morocco's Environmental Ranking in 2026
The Environmental Performance Index (EPI) for 2026, released by Yale and Columbia Universities, has positioned Morocco at 136th place globally out of 177 assessed countries. This places Morocco 13th among nations in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, with a score of 33.11 points out of a possible 100. This ranking highlights the ongoing environmental challenges the country faces, reflecting its need for greater emphasis on sustainable practices and policies.
Global Context and Regional Insights
On a global scale, Estonia has topped the EPI rankings with a score of 74.79 points, followed closely by Luxembourg and the United Kingdom, which secured the second and third positions, respectively. At the opposite end of the spectrum, Bangladesh, India, and Laos found themselves at the bottom of the list, grappling with severe environmental issues. The report indicates that European countries dominate the top ranks, primarily due to their advancements in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Nations such as Finland and the Netherlands have also made significant strides in this area.
Outside Europe, Japan ranks 16th, followed by Australia at 25th, while both the USA and Canada maintain positions within the top thirty. Brazil ranks 50th, with Russia and China lagging behind at 89th and 129th, respectively. The report underscores the considerable environmental challenges faced by several countries in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa, including air and water pollution, agricultural pressures, deforestation, and the impacts of climate change.
Despite a decade of international commitments under the Paris Climate Agreement and notable advancements in renewable energy deployment and energy efficiency, global greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise. The document emphasizes that most countries are not curbing their emissions at a pace that aligns with necessary reductions, with many not reducing emissions at all.
The report concludes by highlighting substantial data gaps that hinder efforts to track progress toward a sustainable future. It points out the inadequacy of available indicators for monitoring water usage, agricultural sustainability, wetland protection, biodiversity loss, ocean pollution, and waste management, all of which require a comprehensive and methodical approach. The absence of consistent indicators and evidence-based analyses can slow down policy advancements, rendering them less effective and more costly than necessary. There is an urgent need for more detailed metrics to track emissions and other environmental damages.
As reported by hespress.com.
