2022 List of the World's Most Environmentally Friendly Countries: Indonesia Lags Far Behind

Yale University conducted an analysis of global environmental performance in 2022. Denmark topped the list, achieving the highest Environmental Performance Index (EPI) score of 77.9 points.

Denmark's EPI score was 0.2 points higher than the United Kingdom, which ranked second with a score of 77.70. Finland (76.5 points), Malta (75.2 points), and Sweden (72.7 points) followed.

Indonesia ranked 164th out of 180 countries researched, receiving a score of 28.20 points.

Environmentally friendly countries, also known as eco-friendly nations, are those involved in processes and practices that minimize ecosystem and environmental damage. The most desirable eco-friendly practices are sustainable, meaning they can be carried out continuously with little or no negative impact on their surroundings.

The term "environmentally friendly" is also often applied to goods and services, laws, guidelines, and policies that cause minimal (or no) damage to the environment and ecosystems. Environmentally friendly products, processes, and practices do not harm the natural environment, help conserve resources such as water and energy, and do not contribute to air, water, or soil pollution.

The EPI is a method for numerically measuring and ranking the environmental performance of a nation's policies. The EPI was developed by Yale University (Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies) and Columbia University (Center for International Earth Science Information Network) in collaboration with the World Economic Forum and the European Commission's Joint Research Centre to evaluate environmental sustainability relative to other countries.

The EPI assesses environmental trends and progress in each country, providing a basis for governments to implement effective environmental policies. EPI measurements also inform policymakers, environmental scientists, advocates, and the general public.