The University of Liverpool has been ranked among the world’s top 100 universities for its social, ecological, and economic impact in the 2025 Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings, highlighting the University’s ongoing commitment to supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The Impact Rankings assess universities’ contributions to society based on their success in advancing the SDGs across four broad areas: research, stewardship, outreach, and teaching. As a signatory of the SDG Accord, the University is dedicated to addressing global challenges such as improving health and education, reducing inequality, ensuring economic sustainability, protecting the environment and biodiversity, and combating climate change.
Rising in the rankings
This year, the University achieved an overall score of 90.1 out of 100, increasing from 89.9 last year, and up one place to rank 88th out of 2,318 institutions globally. This is an impressive achievement given the significant increase in participating universities, which rose by 355 from 1,963 in 2024. It also highlights Liverpool’s growing international reputation for impactful research, education, operations, and civic engagement in support of global sustainability.
Evidence was submitted against six SDGs this year, with four of those achieving top 50 rankings. Our strongest performer is SDG 17: Partnership for the Goals, where we achieved a score of 94.3, ranking 49th globally. We also secured top 50 positions for SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities, ranked 24th with a score of 84.6; SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities, ranked 46th with a score of 82.8; and SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, ranked 45th with a score of 81.2. In addition, we placed within the top 100 for SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production, ranked 63rd with a score of 85.5, and SDG 15: Life on Land, ranked 57th with a score of 82.7. These rankings reflect our strong commitment to advancing social and environmental progress on a global scale.
Representing Liverpool on the global stage
Coinciding with the release of this year’s results, a small delegation from the University’s Sustainability Team has travelled to Istanbul to attend the Times Higher Education 2025 Global Sustainable Development Congress. The Congress brings together global leaders from universities, government, and industry to explore how higher education can accelerate progress towards the UN SDGs.
Our participation provides a valuable platform to highlight the University’s sustainability initiatives, with a special focus on our recently launched Living Labs programme. This initiative connects academic learning with campus operations and city-region priorities, enabling students to apply their knowledge to real-world challenges and deliver measurable impact. It also reinforces our commitment to the joint declaration on Embracing a Living Lab Approach to Promote Carbon Neutrality, which was developed by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and to which the University of Liverpool became a signatory in June 2024.
Pictured: Sally Shaw with XJTLU colleagues at the Times Higher Education 2025 Global Sustainable Development Congress
As one of only two universities selected for a spotlight presentation, Associate Director of Sustainability Sally Shaw and Sustainability Officer Laela Purvis-Greenway, will showcase how Liverpool is leading innovative, collaborative approaches that integrate research, education, and operational impact. Throughout the week, they are also engaging in key discussions such as an exclusive roundtable event hosted by THE and Siemens on accelerating net zero campuses.
Nicola Davies, Chief Financial Officer and Chair of the University’s Sustainability Committee said: “I am delighted that we have secured a top 100 position again, amid a significant increase in participating institutions. This a fantastic achievement and recognition for the outstanding work taking place across our research, teaching and operations to advance the UN Sustainable Development Goals”.
Sally Shaw commented on her attendance at the Global Sustainable Development Congress: “In the Sustainability Team we don’t take the decision to travel internationally lightly, but the opportunity to attend this year’s congress has provided a vital platform to engage in important conversations with institutions from as far away as Hong Kong, Australia and India. I have also been fortunate to meet with the delegation from XJTLU too! This experience will enable us to bring back fresh insights and best practices to further strengthen our sustainability efforts and partnerships.”
You can follow the Sustainability Team on LinkedIn and Instagram for more updates, reflections, and key insights from the week.
Find out more
The full rankings can be found here.
THE’s full methodological breakdown for the Impact Rankings is available here.
The THE Impact Rankings evaluate universities based on the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). You can read about our progress towards the SDGs in our latest annual report here.
For more information about our sustainability work, please visit www.liverpool.ac.uk/sustainability or contact sustainability@liverpool.ac.uk.