Honolulu, Hawaii, has been named the world’s best city for environmental quality in the Oxford Economics Global Cities Index 2026. Conversely, the 30 lowest-ranked cities are all located in Asia, with 23 of them in China.
Environmental Evaluation Criteria
The index evaluated 1,000 cities worldwide on a 100-point scale based on environmental performance. The ranking considers air quality, emissions intensity, natural disaster risks, temperature variations, and precipitation changes.
World’s Cleanest Cities
Honolulu achieved a perfect score of 100 points to secure top position. Fortaleza in Brazil ranked second with 96.9 points, followed by Bergen, Norway, with 96.4 points. Wellington in New Zealand and Aracaju in Brazil completed the top five.
Brazil led among all countries with nine cities featured in the top 30. Cities from Sweden, Spain, Ireland, Australia, and other nations were also included in the upper tier.
Most Polluted and Lowest-Ranked Cities
At the bottom of the index, Bokaro in India ranked last with a score of 0 points. Shahjahanpur scored 6.7 points and Bhilai Nagar received 11.7 points, both in India.
Among the 30 cities with the lowest environmental scores, 23 are in China, five in India, alongside Kerman in Iran and Khulna in Bangladesh.
The low rankings are influenced by heavy industrial activity, coal-dependent energy generation, vehicle emissions, and rapid urbanization. However, the assessment evaluates climate risks and natural disasters alongside air pollution.
