Kingston university fourth in global sustainability rankings; four Canadian schools in top 20

A pair of Canadian universities cracked the top ten in the Times Higher Education Sustainability Impact Ratings, a global ranking measuring how institutions worldwide advance sustainability in line with the United Nation’s Sustainable Development goals.

The 2026 rankings evaluate 1,646 universities from 116 countries and territories across 17 individual categories, with the University of Manchester in England coming in at number one in the rankings, with Queen’s University in Kingston placing fourth overall and topping the ‘zero poverty’ category.

Queen’s climbed to fourth from sixth in the world last year and is the first institution in the country to hold the top spot in the nation for two straight years.

University Principal and Vice-Chancellor Patrick Deane said the rankings help the school “articulate and expand the ways we contribute to the global good.”

“This recognition is not just about our position in the rankings, but about highlighting and strengthening the work being done at Queen’s to build a more sustainable and equitable future.”

Australia, Malaysia and Canada each had two top 10 universities in overall ranking, with the University of Alberta slotted at number ten.

Two other Canadian schools – both in Ontario – also ranked in the top 20 globally, with Western (London) 12th and McMaster (Hamilton) 18th.

Universities from wealthy countries continue to dominate the Times Higher Education Sustainability Impact Ratings but analysts suggest the gap is narrowing slightly.

Futao Huang, professor in the Research Institute for Higher Education a Hiroshima University, said the data suggests a “gradual rebalancing of global academic performance” rather than a structural shift.