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Our sustainability rankings and reputation

The University of Liverpool’s commitment to sustainability and social responsibility is reflected in our strong performances in national and international league tables. Independent rankings provide valuable external validation of our progress and help us benchmark our performance against peers across the UK and globally.

Sustainability league tables 2026 2025 2024 2023
QS Sustainability World Ranking 64 42 50 151-160
Times Higher Education Impact Ranking - 88 89 79
People and Planet 32 (2.1) 37 (2:1) 47 (2:1) 47 (2:1)

Our recent performance in national and international rankings reflects the progress we are making.

QS Sustainability Rankings 

The University of Liverpool is ranked 64th globally (out of 2,001 institutions), placing us within the top 5% of universities worldwide for sustainability, with an overall score of 92.5. We are especially proud to have received a score of 99.5 in the world under the Equality indicator, reflecting our commitment to reducing inequalities and promoting diversity through our policies and practices.

Breakdown of performance:

  • Environmental Impact - ranked 90
  • Envronmental Sustainability - ranked 190
  • Environmental Education - ranked 84
  • Environmental Research - ranked 80
  • Social Impact - strong performance, including 16th globally for Equality
  • Governance - recognised for our policies and institutional commitment to sustainability

Liverpool is also ranked 147th globally in the QS World University Rankings 2026, where the sustainability indicator contributes 5% of the overall score.

Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings 2025

The University of Liverpool is ranked 88th globally (out of 2,318 institutions) with an overall score of 90.1/100, placing us among the world’s top 100 universities in the 2025 THE Impact Rankings, which measure higher education institutions’ contributions to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

In 2025 our score increased to 90.1 (up from 89.9 in 2024), placing us 88th globally, despite the number of participating universities rising sharply to 2,318 (up from 1,963). Evidence was submitted against six SDGs, with four of those achieving top 50 rankings. These rankings reflect our strong commitment to advancing social and environmental progress on a global scale.

  • SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals - 49th globally (score 94.3)
  • SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities - 24th globally (score 84.6)
  • SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities - 46th globally (score 82.8)
  • SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions - 45th globally (score 81.2)
  • SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production - 63rd globally (score 85.5)
  • SDG 15: Life on Land - 57th globally (score 82.7)

View the University's full profile in the THE Impact Rankings 2025.

People & Planet University League 2025/2026

The University of Liverpool is ranked 32nd in the UK (out of 147 institutions) and 6th in the Russell Group, climbing 5 places in the People & Planet University League 2025/26, which assesses environmental and ethical performance across UK institutions.

Performance highlights:

In the 2025/26 rankings, the University performed particularly well in several areas, achieving a 100% score for Auditing and Environmental Management Systems. It also scored very highly for Education for Sustainable Development (95%) and Staff and Student Engagement (90%), demonstrating a continued commitment to embedding sustainability across learning, teaching and campus culture. The University also recorded strong results in other key areas, including Environmental Policy (80%), Sustainability Staff (85%), Workers’ Rights (70%), and Ethical Investment (64%).

Liverpool is also ranked 18th nationally in The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2026, which now includes a sustainability metric based on performance in the People & Planet University League worth 5.6% of the overall score.

Accreditations and awards

In addition to our performance in sustainability league tables, the University of Liverpool holds a number of accreditations and awards that recognise our commitment to sustainability, ethics and responsible research.