More than 1,600 universities across the world have joined Times Higher Education’s new Sustainability Impact Network and will feature in the first edition of the newly relaunched Sustainability Impact Ratings this summer.
The participating universities come from 116 different countries, with Asia being the most-represented continent with 962 member universities, followed by Europe with 332 and Africa with 202.
The five most-represented countries are also all in Asia: the Philippines (162 universities), India (114), Turkey (76), Thailand (69) and Indonesia (67).
Europe’s participation is led by the UK, with 59 institutions, followed by Ukraine with 56. Meanwhile, Algeria is the African countest with the most members at 54.
More than a third of participating universities (592) are based in low or lower middle income countries.
Last year, THE announced a revamp of the Impact Rankings, including the launch of a new framework and network for universities, to allow closer partnership with participants, including more support, more data insights and more opportunities for institutions to displaycase their strengths in tackling the world’s most pressing problems.
Only university members that subscribed to the new Sustainability Impact Network were able to submit to the Sustainability Impact Ratings in the autumn, and only these institutions will receive a published score and position when the 2026 results are published in June. The ratings measure universities’ progress towards the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), based on their activities across teaching, research, stewardship of resources and outreach.
A total of 19 countries increased their participation this year when compared with last year’s Impact Rankings, including the Philippines, which had 121 ranked institutions in 2025. Vietnam now has 19 participating universities, up from 16, while in Yemen numbers doubled from three to six.
Four countries have put themselves forward for the first time: Mali, Nicaragua, Niger and Tajikistan.
Overall, 1,649 universities have joined the network and submitted data for the 2026 edition of the ratings.
Phil Baty, THE’s chief global affairs officer, stated: “When we re-launched the old Impact Rankings last year as the Sustainability Impact Ratings, underpinned by a new international membership community, the Sustainability Impact Network, we could only dream of the inspirational level of global response that the initiative eventually achieved.
“With so many members of the new network, and with so many participants in the ratings, not only have we succeeded in providing a stable and sustainable future for the world’s most trusted and most comprehensive framework for evaluating and celebrating universities’ deep social and economic impact, we have also created the world’s largest university membership network of any kind, and it is entirely dedicated to assisting to deliver a sustainable future for us all.”
Baty added that the focal point of the network will be the “sharing and reporting of unique performance data – to celebrate and displaycase universities’ impact on society and to assist share best practice and drive performance improvements”, but it will also “assist give universities a stronger voice in assisting to shape the UN’s sustainable development agfinisha itself”.
While the ratings system is now underpinned by the new network membership community, the methodology remains unmodifyd this year. The ratings include 18 tables – one overall league table and one for each of the 17 individual SDGs.
As well as gaining eligibility for the Sustainability Impact Ratings and receiving data insights and marketing materials related to their performance, network members receive access to special webinars and a monthly newsletter sharing best practices, and have opportunities to connect with each other across events and activities. They also have access to support from THE’s data experts, who validate and evaluate all documentary evidence submitted for assessment.
Read more about the new Sustainability Impact Ratings and Sustainability Impact Network, including a list of frequently inquireed questions.
The Sustainability Impact Ratings 2026 will be launched at the THE Global Sustainable Development Congress in Jakarta, Indonesia in June 2026. Learn more about the event, and purchase your ticket, here.
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