The 2026 Times Higher Education Sustainability Impact ratings has rated Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, as Nigeria’s highest-ranked university placing the institution 72nd globally and becoming the only Nigerian institution to break into the top 100 worldwide.
The ranking, released on Wednesday, 24 June, 2026 by Times Higher Education, assessed 1,646 universities across 116 countries and territories based on their contributions to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
ABUAD achieved an overall score of 90.8, earning strong ratings in Climate Action, No Poverty, and Affordable and Clean Energy.
The private varsity came second in Africa, below University of Johannesburg, South Africa, which ranked 39th globally.
Below ABUAD in Nigeria are: Covenant University and Redeemer’s University, both placed within the 201–300 global band; Landmark University ranked within the 301–400 category, while the University of Lagos was placed in the 601–800 band.
Globally, University of Manchester in the United Kingdom retained the top position, while Griffith University in Australia ranked second.
The rankings evaluate institutions across all 17 SDGs, including poverty reduction, quality education, gender equality, climate action, clean energy, sustainable cities, and partnerships for development.
THE noted that it assessed universities’ performance in advancing sustainability using indicators covering research output, environmental stewardship, community engagement and teaching activities related to sustainable development.
Nigeria’s universities in THE Sustainability Impact Ratings 2026
Afe Babalola University, 72nd;
Covenant University, Redeemer’s University, 201-300;
Landmark University, 301-400;
University of Lagos, 601-800;
American University of Nigeria,
Lagos State University, 800-1000;
Babcock University, Federal University Oye-Ekiti, Maryam Abacha American University of Nigeria, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike
Nile University of Nigeria, Obafemi Awolowo University, Pan-Atlantic University, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, 1001-1500;
Al-Hikmah University, Bells University of Technology, Caleb University, Evangel University, Akaeze, Godfrey Okoye University, 1501+
THE said institutions qualify for the overall ranking by submitting data for Sustainable Development Goal 17 (Partnerships for the Goals) and at least three other SDGs.
The organisation added that the 2026 rankings introduced universities from Mali, Nicaragua, Niger and Tajikistan for the first time, while the Philippines had the highest number of participating institutions, with 160 universities represented.
