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Notre Dame Global Adaptation Initiative (ND-GAIN), University of Notre Dame · ND-GAIN Country Index
ND-GAIN climate adaptation index by country
How well placed is a country to adapt to climate change?
Norway placed first of the 190 countries compared in 2024, at 71.8486, and Chad last, at 26.4154. In the middle country the figure was 47.4415. Among the 190 countries measured in every edition since 1995, the middle one moved from 43.9349 to 47.4415.
ND-GAIN climate adaptation index · 2024
Context statistic
Highest of 190Norway
71.8486012024 · Notre Dame Global Adaptation Initiative (ND-GAIN), University of Notre Dame’s rank
Who leads
The three countries at the highest end of 190 compared, the three at the other end, and the first on each continent.
1Photo: Ximonic , Simo Räsänen · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
2Photo: Joonas Lyytinen · CC BY-SA 2.5, greyscale
3
02Every measured country
ND-GAIN climate adaptation index on a map
Each country is shaded by its value, in five groups holding the same number of countries. Hover a country for its value, or select it to open its profile. Below the map, each continent’s middle country.
Darker is a higher value — the better end.
- 26.4154–38.0023
- 38.0078–44.1104
- 44.1645–49.9908
- 50.1378–57.4745
- 58.2980–71.8486
- No reading in 2024
- Europe
61.9667
the middle country, of 41 measured · 49 members
Norway71.8486
Bosnia and Herzegovina49.9908Highest and lowest reading in Europe.
- Asia
48.3281
the middle country, of 47 measured · 52 members
Singapore68.4991
Yemen31.3326Highest and lowest reading in Asia.
- Americas
47.7961
the middle country, of 35 measured · 48 members
Canada68.0500
Haiti33.2699Highest and lowest reading in Americas.
- Oceania
43.0771
the middle country, of 14 measured · 21 members
Australia67.9174
Papua New Guinea33.6639Highest and lowest reading in Oceania.
- Africa
38.3763
the middle country, of 53 measured · 55 members
Mauritius51.1880
Chad26.4154Highest and lowest reading in Africa.
- Every region
22 sub-regions, highest middle country first
- Northern Europe
66.2996
the middle country, of 10 measured · 13 members
Norway71.8486
Latvia60.0960Highest and lowest reading in Northern Europe.
- Western Europe
66.0906
the middle country, of 8 measured · 9 members
Germany69.2346
Belgium61.9667Highest and lowest reading in Western Europe.
- Southern Europe
57.1481
the middle country, of 13 measured · 17 members
Slovenia63.1558Bosnia and Herzegovina49.9908Highest and lowest reading in Southern Europe.
- Eastern Europe
56.2955
the middle country, of 10 measured · 10 members
Czechia65.0870
Moldova51.6986Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Europe.
- Eastern Asia
53.0425
the middle country, of 5 measured · 8 members
South Korea68.2909
North Korea43.3326Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Asia.
- Central Asia
51.3986
the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members
Kazakhstan56.4374
Turkmenistan39.3775Highest and lowest reading in Central Asia.
- Western Asia
50.1378
the middle country, of 17 measured · 19 members
Israel59.7633Yemen31.3326Highest and lowest reading in Western Asia.
- Caribbean
48.7101
the middle country, of 13 measured · 24 members
Barbados58.6198Haiti33.2699Highest and lowest reading in Caribbean.
- South America
48.0514
the middle country, of 12 measured · 12 members
Chile60.0737
Venezuela42.2963Highest and lowest reading in South America.
- Micronesia
46.0523
the middle country, of 5 measured · 7 members
Palau55.0034
Micronesia37.0027Highest and lowest reading in Micronesia.
- South-eastern Asia
45.8992
the middle country, of 11 measured · 11 members
Singapore68.4991
Myanmar36.4885Highest and lowest reading in South-eastern Asia.
- Northern Africa
45.2081
the middle country, of 6 measured · 6 members
Morocco47.6713
Sudan28.2513Highest and lowest reading in Northern Africa.
- Central America
44.1375
the middle country, of 8 measured · 8 members
Costa Rica54.4822
Honduras41.3281Highest and lowest reading in Central America.
- Southern Asia
43.5552
the middle country, of 9 measured · 9 members
Iran47.5134
Afghanistan33.0241Highest and lowest reading in Southern Asia.
- Southern Africa
41.8692
the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members
Botswana44.9869
Lesotho38.3763Highest and lowest reading in Southern Africa.
- Western Africa
37.4946
the middle country, of 16 measured · 16 members
Cabo Verde45.1473
Mauritania31.9032Highest and lowest reading in Western Africa.
- Eastern Africa
36.4416
the middle country, of 17 measured · 19 members
Mauritius51.1880
Somalia26.9955Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Africa.
- Middle Africa
35.5532
the middle country, of 9 measured · 9 members
Gabon42.6248Chad26.4154Highest and lowest reading in Middle Africa.
- Australia and New Zealand
2 of 2 measured — too few for a middle: Australia, New Zealand.
Australia67.9174
New Zealand66.2470Highest and lowest reading in Australia and New Zealand.
- Melanesia
4 of 5 measured — too few for a middle: Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu.
Fiji47.4544Papua New Guinea33.6639Highest and lowest reading in Melanesia.
- Northern America
2 of 4 measured — too few for a middle: Canada, United States.
Canada68.0500
United States65.7472Highest and lowest reading in Northern America.
- Polynesia
3 of 7 measured — too few for a middle: Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu.
Tuvalu43.8641
Tonga37.9236Highest and lowest reading in Polynesia.
03The whole field at once
The spread
190 countries, one dot each, on one scale — further right is a higher value. Half the countries are above 47.4415; a quarter are above 55.2387, and a quarter below 40.0090. The bar in each row marks that continent’s middle country.
04All 190 ever measured
Every country
In order, highest value first. “=” marks a rank shared with another country. The index is readiness minus vulnerability, rescaled, so two countries can sit side by side for opposite reasons: one exposed but well prepared, the other sheltered but poorly equipped. ND-GAIN ranks the score as it displays it, to one decimal, so countries shown with the same figure share a rank.
Showing 25 of 190 countries
Values for 2024. The change column compares 2024 with 2023 only; the sparkline covers the recent editions.
051995–2024 · 30 reference years
Over time
Each point is one year from 1995. ND-GAIN recomputes the whole series every release on its current method, so the line is comparable end to end — but not with the numbers an older release printed.
- the middle country
- the middle half of countries
- the middle of the 190 countries measured every time
- each continent’s middle country
The same, year by year
| Year | Countries | Middle country | Middle half | Measured every time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 190 | 47.4415 | 40.0090 – 55.2387 | 47.4415 |
| 2023 | 190 | 47.2520 | 40.0480 – 55.6293 | 47.2520 |
| 2022 | 190 | 47.0699 | 39.8829 – 55.7045 | 47.0699 |
| 2021 | 190 | 48.3196 | 40.2846 – 56.1285 | 48.3196 |
| 2020 | 190 | 48.3638 | 40.2261 – 55.9563 | 48.3638 |
| 2019 | 190 | 48.1966 | 39.9391 – 55.9133 | 48.1966 |
| 2018 | 190 | 48.1864 | 39.8338 – 55.7407 | 48.1864 |
| 2017 | 190 | 47.6743 | 39.8531 – 55.2683 | 47.6743 |
| 2016 | 190 | 47.5092 | 39.9080 – 55.1478 | 47.5092 |
| 2015 | 190 | 46.6919 | 39.7226 – 54.8872 | 46.6919 |
| 2014 | 190 | 46.7399 | 39.3862 – 54.6492 | 46.7399 |
| 2013 | 190 | 46.5247 | 39.3443 – 55.3089 | 46.5247 |
| 2012 | 190 | 46.4112 | 39.5113 – 55.2265 | 46.4112 |
| 2011 | 190 | 46.4163 | 39.4377 – 54.2929 | 46.4163 |
| 2010 | 190 | 46.0341 | 39.3406 – 54.1877 | 46.0341 |
| 2009 | 190 | 45.8218 | 39.2367 – 53.9278 | 45.8218 |
| 2008 | 190 | 45.8283 | 39.1254 – 53.5886 | 45.8283 |
| 2007 | 190 | 45.8027 | 39.4206 – 53.3695 | 45.8027 |
| 2006 | 190 | 45.6269 | 39.3392 – 53.6082 | 45.6269 |
| 2005 | 190 | 45.7651 | 39.4100 – 53.3104 | 45.7651 |
| 2004 | 190 | 45.2999 | 39.3745 – 52.1649 | 45.2999 |
| 2003 | 190 | 45.0290 | 39.6690 – 52.8195 | 45.0290 |
| 2002 | 190 | 44.7577 | 39.5323 – 52.5323 | 44.7577 |
| 2001 | 190 | 44.4472 | 39.3658 – 52.1665 | 44.4472 |
| 2000 | 190 | 44.5241 | 39.6537 – 52.1240 | 44.5241 |
| 1999 | 190 | 44.5576 | 39.6305 – 51.8525 | 44.5576 |
| 1998 | 190 | 44.4362 | 39.5488 – 51.2067 | 44.4362 |
| 1997 | 190 | 44.1621 | 39.3493 – 51.3062 | 44.1621 |
| 1996 | 190 | 44.0364 | 39.3005 – 51.0997 | 44.0364 |
| 1995 | 190 | 43.9349 | 39.3575 – 50.8839 | 43.9349 |
062023 → 2024
Who rose and fell
The biggest changes in value between the two newest editions — reference years recalculated in one report, not two separate publications. Places are shown second, because they also move when other countries do.
Improved most
before → after- Palau52.4962 → 55.0034 · 62nd → 50th+2.5072
Vanuatu36.3361 → 37.6972 · 165th → 155th+1.3611
Laos41.4865 → 42.3681 · 138th → 127th+0.8816
Marshall Islands45.2439 → 46.0523 · 108th → 102nd+0.8084
Saudi Arabia50.3573 → 51.1188 · 75th → 71st+0.7615
Declined most
before → after
Nepal42.9004 → 41.1428 · 127th → 137th−1.7576- Chad27.8575 → 26.4154 · 188th → 190th−1.4420
Samoa41.4901 → 40.0996 · 138th → 142nd−1.3906
Bangladesh38.3868 → 37.0372 · 151st → 159th−1.3496
Rwanda41.9440 → 40.6073 · 133rd → 141st−1.3366
190 countries were measured in both 2023 and 2024.
07Across every edition
ND-GAIN climate adaptation index in records
The extremes of the statistic. A record reached by more than one country names none of them.
Highest reading on record
76.9506
ND-GAIN Index (0–100, where 100 is best placed to adapt)
Notre Dame Global Adaptation Initiative (ND-GAIN), University of Notre Dame · 2013
Lowest reading on record
25.9594
ND-GAIN Index (0–100, where 100 is best placed to adapt)
Notre Dame Global Adaptation Initiative (ND-GAIN), University of Notre Dame · 2016
Biggest improvement between editions
+6.1649
52.9388 → 59.1037
Notre Dame Global Adaptation Initiative (ND-GAIN), University of Notre Dame · 2021 → 2022
Biggest decline between editions
−6.7344
52.1583 → 45.4239
Notre Dame Global Adaptation Initiative (ND-GAIN), University of Notre Dame · 2021 → 2022
Most improved since first measured
+13.3186
49.6994 → 63.0180
Notre Dame Global Adaptation Initiative (ND-GAIN), University of Notre Dame · 1995 → 2024
At the top most often
30 of 30
editions, alone at the first-listed end
Notre Dame Global Adaptation Initiative (ND-GAIN), University of Notre Dame · 1995–2024
08The measure
About ND-GAIN climate adaptation index
The ND-GAIN Country Index weighs how vulnerable a country is to climate change against how ready it is to put investment to work adapting to it, on a scale from 0 to 100 where higher is better placed. Built at the University of Notre Dame, it scores 192 UN member states back to 1995.
What the number is: ND-GAIN Index (0–100, where 100 is best placed to adapt).
What it does not measure
It does not measure a country's emissions or its contribution to climate change, and it is not a forecast of climate damage. A middling figure can come from high vulnerability matched by strong readiness, or from the reverse.
09Where it fits
Connections
Its part in the Country Index, the statistics whose values line up most closely with it across countries, and others on the same subject.
In the Country Index
Context, with no vote
This statistic is published in full under Environment & Sustainability and Risk & Resilience, but does not help decide any Country Index standing.
Environment & SustainabilityRisk & ResilienceWhich statistics vote, and why
Moves with
Where ND-GAIN climate adaptation index is higher, these tend to be higher too.
- Climate Readiness (ND-GAIN)Notre Dame Global Adaptation Initiative (ND-GAIN), University of Notre Dame · 190 countries in commonρ 0.96
- Inequality-adjusted Human Development IndexUNDP Human Development Report Office · 166 countries in commonρ 0.93
- GNI per Capita (PPP)World Bank Group · 99 countries in commonρ 0.93
Moves against
Where ND-GAIN climate adaptation index is higher, these tend to be lower.
- Gender Inequality IndexUNDP Human Development Report Office · 172 countries in commonρ −0.93
- Climate Vulnerability (ND-GAIN)KeyNotre Dame Global Adaptation Initiative (ND-GAIN), University of Notre Dame · 190 countries in commonρ −0.91
- Learning PovertyWorld Bank Group and UNESCO Institute for Statistics · 105 countries in commonρ −0.90
Rank correlation (ρ, from −1 to 1) across countries, on each statistic’s newest edition, out of 188 statistics sharing at least 80 countries with this one. Two statistics that move together do not cause each other.
10Keep reading
Explore further
More from Notre Dame Global Adaptation Initiative (ND-GAIN), University of Notre Dame
11Questions
ND-GAIN climate adaptation index: questions and answers
Which country has the highest ND-GAIN climate adaptation index?
Norway, at 71.8486, among the 190 countries compared in 2024.
Which country has the lowest ND-GAIN climate adaptation index?
Chad, at 26.4154, among the 190 countries compared in 2024.
How many countries does the ND-GAIN Country Index cover?
190 in 2024.
What is the world average ND-GAIN climate adaptation index?
This site does not calculate a world average, which would depend on how countries are weighted. In the middle country of the 190 compared in 2024, the figure was 47.4415.
Is this Notre Dame Global Adaptation Initiative (ND-GAIN), University of Notre Dame’s own ranking?
Yes. The rank shown is the one Notre Dame Global Adaptation Initiative (ND-GAIN), University of Notre Dame publishes.
How often is the ND-GAIN Country Index published?
This site holds 30 reference years, 1995–2024, all recalculated in Notre Dame Global Adaptation Initiative (ND-GAIN), University of Notre Dame’s 2026 report on one method — not 30 separate publications.
Where does the data come from, and can I download it?
From Notre Dame Global Adaptation Initiative (ND-GAIN), University of Notre Dame, under CC BY 3.0 Unported. Imported from ND-GAIN’s own download, the index file only. The same zip carries the 45 underlying indicators, which are other agencies’ data and are not republished here. The ranks are those ND-GAIN prints on its own ranking pages. Every edition is on this site’s Datasets pages as a full table, and downloads as a CSV file with every value unrounded.
12Method
Sources, method and citation
Source
ND-GAIN Country Index — Notre Dame Global Adaptation Initiative (ND-GAIN), University of Notre Dame
Imported from ND-GAIN’s own download, the index file only. The same zip carries the 45 underlying indicators, which are other agencies’ data and are not republished here. The ranks are those ND-GAIN prints on its own ranking pages.
Newest edition
Report year 2024Data year 2024
Cite the source as: University of Notre Dame Global Adaptation Initiative. ND-GAIN Country Index, 2026 release. Method: Chen, C., Noble, I., Hellmann, J., Coffee, J., Murillo, M. and Chawla, N. (2015). University of Notre Dame Global Adaptation Index: Country Index Technical Report. Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame.
Licence: CC BY 3.0 Unported, checked 2026-09-26.
How this page reads the numbers
- The rank is Notre Dame Global Adaptation Initiative (ND-GAIN), University of Notre Dame’s own, as published.
- Which end is better follows the publisher’s own reading of the measure.
- A country is named at an end only when it holds that value alone. Where several share it, the page says how many and names none first.
- Values are stored exactly as published and trimmed only for display. “The middle country” is the median of the countries measured, not a world average.
The file itself, column by column — where it came from, what each column holds, and every edition as a CSV — is on its dataset page.
Photographs
The countries at the top of this statistic, from their profiles: Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale, each used under the licence named.
- Norway — Ximonic , Simo Räsänen, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Finland — Joonas Lyytinen, CC BY-SA 2.5
- Germany — dronepicr, CC BY 2.0
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). ND-GAIN climate adaptation index by country: ND-GAIN Country Index, data from Notre Dame Global Adaptation Initiative (ND-GAIN), University of Notre Dame. https://nationsinquiry.com/statistics/nd-gain-index