King Abdulaziz University has secured the top position among Saudi universities in four Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the Times Higher Education Sustainability Impact Ratings 2026, reaffirming its leadership in advancing sustainability, research, and societal impact.
The achievement highlights the university’s strong performance against global benchmarks that assess the contributions of academic institutions toward achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
The Times Higher Education Sustainability Impact Ratings is a global ranking that evaluates how universities and institutions worldwide contribute to advancing sustainability in alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It measures institutional efforts and impact across key areas, including social, economic, and environmental development.
The 2026 rankings evaluate 1,646 universities from 116 countries and territories across 17 individual SDG tables and one overall ranking.
King Abdulaziz University records strong global SDG performance
The King Abdulaziz University secured first place nationally in four SDGs: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, Partnerships for the Goals, Climate Action, and Decent Work and Economic Growth.
According to the statement, these achievements reflect the university’s commitment to advancing the global sustainable development agenda while contributing to the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030 to build a thriving economy and a vibrant society.
Globally, the King Abdulaziz University ranked among the world’s top five institutions for Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, 11th for Partnerships for the Goals, 23rd for Decent Work and Economic Growth, and 30th for Reduced Inequalities, highlighting its strong international standing among leading higher education institutions.
In the overall rankings, the university earned a score of 88.3 out of 100, placing it in the 101–200 global band. It also ranked second nationally in three additional Sustainable Development Goals.
