Climate Change Performance Index 2026 places India 23rd as continued coal dependence, lack of an exit timeline and new coal auctions weigh on its climate scores despite strong renewable targets

India has fallen 13 places to rank 23rd in a global index that tracks countries’ climate change performance, with its continued reliance on coal and the absence of a national coal exit timeline cited as key reasons for the slide.

The Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) 2026, released at the COP30 climate summit in Belém by Germanwatch, NewClimate Institute and Climate Action Network, assesses mitigation performance in 63 countries and the European Union. According to the latest ratings, India has a score of 61.31 points and has moved from the “high performer” category last year to “medium” in the current edition.

The report notes that India is “among the biggest producers of oil, gas and coal worldwide” and flags the lack of a time-bound plan to move away from coal, while new coal blocks continue to be auctioned. It adds that India ranks 23rd and “earns a medium in GHG Emissions, Climate Policy, and Energy Use, and a low in Renewable Energy”.

Key demands highlighted in the document include a phasedown and eventual phaseout of coal within a defined timeframe, and the redirection of fossil fuel subsidies towards decentralised, community-owned renewable energy.

No country occupied the top three positions in the index, with the authors stating that “no country is doing enough to prevent dangerous climate change”. Denmark holds fourth place with 80.52 points, followed by the UK at 70.8 and Morocco at 70.75. At the bottom of the table, Saudi Arabia has a score of 11.9, while Iran and the United States are ranked 66th and 65th with 14.33 and 21.84 points respectively.

The report also points to what it calls a mixed picture in India. It says the country is signalling “its long-term intent on climate action with a formal strategy and ambitious renewable energy targets” and notes longstanding efficiency programmes such as Bureau of Energy Efficiency appliance labelling since 2006 and the Perform, Achieve and Trade mechanism for industry since 2012. It records “accelerated renewable energy deployment through auctions and fiscal tools” and “record auction participation and continuously falling tariffs”.

At the same time, coal continues to provide over 70 per cent of India’s electricity, and the lack of a clear coal phaseout path has social as well as climate implications. Citing wider research, the narrative around the index underlines that communities in coal-dependent regions face worsening air quality and heightened health risks, while delayed transition keeps global greenhouse gas emissions higher and leaves vulnerable groups more exposed to heatwaves, floods and droughts linked to a warming climate.