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• Western Sydney University in Australia is number one overall for fourth consecutive year��

• University of Manchester in the United Kingdom is Europe’s top university and second place globally��������

• Kyungpook National University in South Korea is third globally and top in Asia��

• Indonesia’s Universitas Airlangga, in joint ninth place, is top institution from an emerging economy����

• Asian universities claim more than half of all places in the rankings����

• 10 out of the 17 individual SDG rankings are now led by an Asian university, up from five last year, as number of anglophone leaders decline��

• Eight countries/territories make their debut in the ranking this year: Botswana, Burkina Faso, El Salvador, Estonia, Maldives, Namibia, Papua New Guinea and Senegal��

• India has the highest number of participating universities globally (147)��

• The only global performance tables that assess universities against the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)��

• Record 2,526 universities from 130 countries/territories����

• Universities ranked across 18 tables: one overall ranking and 17 tables representing each SDG��

Top 10 universities overall in the THE Impact Rankings 2025��

= joint  ��

If you reproduce any part of these ranking tables or charts, please attribute it to “̽����Ƶ Impact Rankings 2025”, and link to the full list on our website.

Global universities’ progress towards tackling the world’s greatest challenges are laid bare in the ̽����Ƶ (THE) Impact Rankings 2025, released today.

The THE Impact Rankings, released this week at the Global Sustainable Development Congress in Istanbul, are the only global performance tables that assess universities against the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. Universities are ranked across 18 tables: one overall ranking and 17 tables representing each individual SDG.

Australia’s Western Sydney University leads the overall ranking for the fourth consecutive year. Australian institutions have typically dominated the top of the overall ranking, and that trend continues – but Asian institutions are also improving rapidly. This means Australia has one fewer institution in the top 10 compared with last year.

Two rising stars in Asia have made great leaps forward to join the overall top 10 this year: South Korea’s Kyungpook National University (KNU), which finishes third, and Indonesia’s Universitas Airlangga (joint ninth).

Both KNU and Airlangga moved up significantly from their positions in last year’s overall ranking, which were joint 39th and joint 81st respectively. While the research-focused World University Rankings tend to be relatively stable year-on-year, the Impact Rankings are inherently dynamic because the metrics allow institutions to demonstrate rapid improvement, for example by introducing new policies or by providing clearer and more open evidence of their progress.��

North America occupies three spots in the top 10: United States’ Arizona State University (Tempe) and Canada’s Queen’s University (tied sixth), and Canada’s University of Alberta (eighth).����

Meanwhile, the University of Manchester is the United Kingdom’s only institution in this elite group, in second place, and Denmark’s Aalborg University is joint ninth.��

The improvement in East and South-east Asia’s performance comes alongside an increase in participation. While Asia has been the most-represented continent in the Impact Rankings since they launched in 2019, Asian universities now make up the majority of all ranked institutions for the first time. Fifty-two per cent of ranked universities are from the continent in 2025 – up from 49 per cent last year and 42 per cent in 2020. Globally, a record 2,526 universities from 130 countries/territories are ranked across the 18 tables this year.��

Botswana, Burkina Faso, El Salvador, Estonia, Maldives, Namibia, Papua New Guinea and Senegal make their debut in the ranking.��

This year’s rankings are released 10 years after the creation of the SDGs and amid scepticism that the goals will be met by the target year of 2030. However, the data show that universities are highly focused on delivering on the sustainability agenda and demonstrating public impact.����

Phil Baty, THE’s chief global affairs officer, said: “T��� THE Impact Rankings are the world’s only rankings to explore universities’ contribution to each and every one of the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals, across the full range of their activities: teaching, research, outreach and stewardship. And this comprehensive analysis clearly shows that universities worldwide are stepping up to help the world take on its most pressing grand challenges, from the climate crisis to delivering economic growth to supporting peace and justice across the world. This huge piece of research highlights the real-world impact that universities make, and their contribution to the public good.”��

Top 10 countries in overall ranking (by representation)

Note: the figures in the above table relate to the number of institutions ranked in the overall ranking only, not across all 18 tables.��

= joint  ��

If you reproduce any part of these ranking tables or charts, please attribute it to “̽����Ƶ Impact Rankings 2025”, and link to the full list on our website.

Notes to editors    ��

1. For more information, or to arrange an interview, please email media@timeshighereducation.com ��
2. The Impact Rankings are inherently dynamic: they are growing rapidly each year as many more universities seek to demonstrate their commitment to delivering the SDGs by joining our database; and they allow institutions to demonstrate rapid improvement year-on-year, by introducing clear new policies, for example, or by providing clearer and more open evidence of their progress. Therefore, we expect and welcome regular change in the ranked order of institutions (and we discourage year-on-year comparisons) as universities continue to drive this urgent agenda.
3. THE is the trusted global data partner for higher education. Drawing on five decades of expertise in the sector, millions of individual data points and with more unique institutions participating in our flagship university rankings than any other, we offer deeper and richer insight into university performance than anyone else. From powerful data-driven insights and strategic consultancy support to agenda-setting events, student recruitment and hiring solutions, our products and services enable everyone in higher education to make smarter, more informed decisions. For more information, visit or find us on Twitter/X:  �į�į�į��