The United Kingdom topped the sustainable trade index, while Russia left the bottom spot

The Hinrich Foundation, in collaboration with the IMD World Competitiveness Centre, has published its updated Sustainable Trade Index 2025, an annual ranking that assesses how sustainably countries conduct international trade, combining economic growth, social development and environmental responsibility.

This year, the United Kingdom took first place, displacing last year's leader, New Zealand, which is now in second place. Australia retained third place, while Singapore remained in fourth.

South Korea and Hong Kong, which moved up one position, round out the top five.

Who moved up in the rankings:

• South Korea rose from 7th to 5th place, strengthening its position in the economic and social blocks.
• Malaysia improved its result from 15th to 12th place, showing significant progress in environmental sustainability.
• Sri Lanka made one of the most notable leaps, from 26th to 20th place, mainly thanks to reforms in the social sphere.

Countries that lost ground:

• Thailand fell from 12th to 15th place,
• Laos from 22nd to 25th,
• and Myanmar moved to last place, 30th, displacing Russia, which had held that position in 2023 and 2024.

Thus, Russia rose one place in the ranking and now occupies 29th place.

The STI index assesses the world's 30 largest economies in three key areas:

• Economic sustainability — competitiveness, trade openness, innovation.
• Social sustainability — education, workers' rights, gender equality.
• Environmental sustainability — energy efficiency, climate policy, carbon emissions.

A total of 72 indicators are analysed, reflecting the overall sustainability of economic systems.