This infographic from the Hinrich Foundation introduces the 2025 edition of the Sustainable Trade Index (STI). The STI is an annual ranking of 30 select global economies developed along with the IMD World Competitiveness Center.
The purpose of the STI is to stimulate meaningful discussions about the linkages between global trade, sustainability, and resilience, serving as a practical tool for governments, policymakers, and researchers.
Overall Ranking for 2025
The overall STI rankings, which are visualized in the first chart of this infographic, are also shown in the table below. The rankings are determined by each economy’s performance across three core pillars of sustainability, which are supported by 72 indicators.
There were also some notable shakeups in the rankings from 2024 to 2025. South Korea climbed from #7 to #5, Malaysia rose from #15 to #12, and Sri Lanka made one of the biggest leaps, jumping from #26 to #20.
On the other hand, several countries slid down the list. Thailand slipped from #12 to #15, Laos dropped from #22 to #25, and Myanmar—still mired in civil war tensions—fell from #27 to #30, replacing Russia in last place after holding that spot in 2023 and 2024.
Pillar Rankings—Economic, Societal, Environmental
Here’s how each economy ranked in the three underlying pillars of the STI:
Interestingly, GDP per capita has a positive correlation with Economic and Societal pillar rankings. However, there is almost no correlation between GDP per capita and the Environmental pillar.
For instance, the UK (#1), New Zealand (#2), and Australia (#6) performed strongly on the environmental pillar and also benefited from relatively high GDP per capita. By contrast, Canada (#19), South Korea (#16), and the U.S. (#14), all of which also have elevated GDP per capita, scored lower on this pillar.
Dive Deeper
Credit: Visual Capitalist
