India Falls to 28th in the Climate Change Performance Index 2027: What the Ranking Measures
India slipped five places to 28th in the Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) 2027. The index was released on the sidelines of the UN climate summit (COP31) in Antalya, Türkiye.
This is India's third fall in a row. India was in the top 10 for six years in a row till 2024, and reached 7th place in CCPI 2024.
The report's authors said India lost most ground in energy use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. India's emissions and energy use per person are still low, but both have been rising, and the index rates that rising trend very low.
India's renewable energy trend was rated high because of the fast growth of solar and wind power. But renewables are still a small share of India's total energy supply.
The authors suggested that India use energy more efficiently, invest in power grids and storage, and set a clear timetable for reducing coal use.
Denmark (4th) again topped the index, followed by Lithuania (5th) and Luxembourg (6th). Ranks 1 to 3 were left empty. China was 56th; Russia (66th), the US (67th) and Iran (68th) were the bottom three. Pakistan was 26th, just above India.
Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI)
The Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) is a yearly report card that ranks countries on how well they are fighting climate change. It looks at how much greenhouse gas a country releases, how much clean energy it uses, how efficiently it uses energy, and how strong its climate policies are. It is published by three non-government groups: Germanwatch, the NewClimate Institute and the Climate Action Network (CAN). It covers about 60 big countries plus the European Union (EU) as one unit, which together release more than 90% of the world's greenhouse gases.
India's fall to 28th in CCPI 2027 comes mainly from the GHG emissions category (40% of the score) and the energy use category, where rising trends are rated very low. Its renewable energy trend still scores high. This shows how the index rewards falling emissions more than clean energy growth alone.
Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) Under the Paris Agreement
A Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) is a country's own climate action plan under the Paris Agreement of 2015. In it, each country says how it will limit its greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate change. Countries must send a new, stronger NDC every five years. The CCPI checks whether these targets fit the Paris goal of "well below 2°C".
One of the CCPI's indicators checks whether a country's future target fits the Paris goal. India's NDC targets are based on emissions intensity, not an absolute cap, so its total emissions can still rise. This is one reason its emissions trend is rated low even while it meets its NDC goals early.
- India's rank in CCPI 2027: 28th (down 5 places); third fall in a row
- Released at COP31, Antalya, Türkiye (November 2026)
- Top performer: Denmark (4th), then Lithuania (5th), Luxembourg (6th); ranks 1 to 3 empty
- Bottom three: Russia (66th), US (67th), Iran (68th); China 56th; Pakistan 26th
- Türkiye 53rd and Australia 54th; 10 G20 countries rated "very low"; the UK is the only G20 high performer
- G20 countries account for over 75% of global GHG emissions
- India's non-fossil power capacity: about 300 GW (July 2026), over 54% of installed capacity