The UN’s COP30 will be held in Brazil later in 2025, bringing conversations and commitment on climate action to Latin America’s door. As the region prepares to host this pivotal global event, it highlights the urgency of sustainable practices across all sectors, including higher education. In this context, we are using QS data to assess the sustainability performance of universities in the wider Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region.
Brazil has the most ranked institutions in Latin America and the Caribbean
In the QS World University Rankings: Sustainability 2025, there are 138 LAC institutions ranked. The top performer is Brazil’s Universidade de São Paulo, placing 92nd globally, with Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México and Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile placing second and third in the region.
22 institutions moved up, and 46 moved down – though this is not simply due to a decline in performance; other universities improving, new institutions submitting data and our minor methodology change may all have influenced this.
Brazil has the most ranked institutions among LAC countries. Chile, with a population of 19.6m, outperforms Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, and Peru – all of which have larger populations. There is significant regional disparity in activity, with eight LAC countries only having one institution ranked in the QS World University Rankings: Sustainability 2025.
With an average institution score of over 45, Colombia, Brazil and Chile are the leading LAC countries for sustainability performance. This is, however, eclipsed by other international groupings – the G7 and global average are both higher than any individual LAC country. The country with the highest average score is New Zealand, with a mighty 83.1 average score.
Across LAC countries, Environmental Impact is the lowest score of the three categories assessed in the QS World University Rankings Sustainability: 2025. This indicates universities across the region need to increase their environmental education and environmental research – the two lenses that comprise our Environmental Impact category. Low performance in this indicator is particularly concerning as Brazil and Colombia are the world’s most biodiverse countries – increasing global collaboration should be a priority to protect the natural habitat of these countries.
The concerning performance in Environmental Impact continues at a regional level – across the board, Environmental Impact scores are LAC countries’ lowest on average.
Good Governance is the strongest category for most LAC countries – with Chile and Argentina being exceptions. Peru’s Governance score is the highest among the locations with more than two ranked institutions in the region. The good governance lens is made up of 10 indicators, all of which help show us the universities with strong leadership, transparent decision making, and democratic operations.
Conclusion and recommendations
Sustainability is increasingly on the radar of LAC’s universities, but there is a significant regional disparity in activity and performance. LAC countries’ average Environmental Impact score is the lowest of our three categories, indicating an opportunity for institutions to focus more on this area.
Colombia, Brazil, Chile and Mexico are outperforming their regional peers. Inter-regional partnerships and knowledge sharing will help ensure parity and consistent progress in sustainability performance metrics.
Learn more about our suite of solutions to measure and track sustainability performance.
