The UAE has emerged as the Arab world’s highest-ranked country in the 2026 Environmental Performance Index, placing 42nd globally with a score of 50.16.The biennial assessment ranks 177 countries using 47 indicators across 12 issue categories covering environmental health, ecosystem vitality and climate change. The UAE finished ahead of Oman, Jordan, Qatar and every other Arab country included in the index, while recording a 13.54-point improvement over the past decade.
Oman was the next-highest Arab country, ranking 49th globally with a score of 48.50. Jordan placed 54th with 46.72, followed by Qatar at 67th with 45.07 and Algeria at 78th with 42.74. Tunisia ranked 85th, Lebanon 93rd, Kuwait 99th, Saudi Arabia 105th and Egypt 106th.
The UAE’s overall performance was driven by strong results in waste management, water resources, environmental health and marine protection. It ranked first globally for sustainably managed solid waste, receiving the maximum score of 100. The result reflects extensive investment in collection systems, treatment infrastructure, recycling programmes and policies designed to divert waste from landfill.
The country also ranked 19th globally for wastewater treatment, scoring 94.99. Water management remains a strategic priority because of limited freshwater reserves, high consumption and heavy dependence on desalination. Treated wastewater is increasingly used for landscaping, agriculture and industrial purposes, reducing pressure on potable supplies.
Environmental health was another comparatively strong area. The UAE ranked 46th worldwide with a score of 59.24, placing third in its broader regional group. It performed well in sanitation and drinking water, where it ranked 48th, and in protection from lead exposure, where it secured 32nd place.
The index gave the UAE a perfect score for limiting health damage linked to household solid fuels. Widespread access to electricity and modern cooking fuels has virtually eliminated the indoor smoke exposure that remains a major health risk in lower-income countries.
Air quality, however, presented a more mixed picture. The UAE ranked 62nd in the overall air-quality category, but placed 164th for the health burden associated with fine particulate matter. Desert dust, construction, transport emissions and industrial activity all contribute to elevated concentrations of PM2.5, which can penetrate deep into the lungs and bloodstream.
Nitrogen dioxide, volatile organic compounds and sulphur dioxide also weighed on the environmental health score. The country ranked 169th for nitrogen dioxide exposure and 138th for exposure to volatile organic compounds, highlighting the challenge of controlling pollution in fast-growing urban and industrial centres.
Ecosystem vitality was a stronger component of the UAE’s performance. The country ranked 34th globally with a score of 54.48, supported by progress in biodiversity protection, fisheries management and conservation of important marine and terrestrial areas.
The UAE placed ninth worldwide for protecting marine key biodiversity areas, scoring 93.54. It ranked 13th for the protection of terrestrial areas considered important to biodiversity and 20th in fisheries sustainability. Domestic bottom trawling management received the maximum score, while discarded fish catch was ranked 18th.
These results reflect the expansion of protected areas, restrictions on damaging fishing practices and programmes to restore mangroves, coral reefs and coastal habitats. Mangrove planting has become a central element of the country’s nature-based climate strategy because the ecosystems store carbon, provide breeding grounds for marine species and protect shorelines from erosion.
Weaknesses remain in the representation and connectivity of protected areas. The UAE ranked 129th for how comprehensively its protected-area network represents different ecosystems and 82nd for connectivity between habitats. Species protection also ranked lower, at 125th, while indicators covering habitat integrity and resilience remained below the country’s strongest scores.
Agriculture was the UAE’s poorest major category. It ranked 167th globally with a score of 23.25, reflecting difficult natural conditions and the environmental costs of intensive food production in an arid climate. Low scores for nitrogen management, phosphorus surplus and pesticide pollution risk showed the pressure created by attempts to raise domestic agricultural output despite scarce water and limited fertile land.
Climate performance also remained a significant constraint. The UAE ranked 98th in the climate change policy objective, although its score rose sharply over the ten-year assessment period. It performed relatively well on the trend in carbon dioxide emissions, ranking 59th, and showed improvement in emissions adjusted for economic output.
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