Geneva, December 10, 2021 – In a context where environmental and human rights issues are gaining more and more importance, Global Risk Profile (GRP) publishes the 2021 ESG index (ESGI).This unique index measures the risks related to the environment, human rights and the health & safety of people around the world.
Europe maintains its gap with other regions of the world (26.8), well ahead of Oceania (38.9), South America (38.7), North America (39.9), Asia (46) and Africa (56.3).
This year, the ESG ranking podium is exclusively Nordic with Finland on top, followed by Sweden (2nd) and Iceland (3rd). Norway ranks 4th followed by Switzerland (5th) whose overall ranking is held back, like several European countries, by a weak environment score (ranked 20th in the correspondent sub-index).
For numerous countries, the Covid-19 crisis aligns with a lower ESG performance, with human rights particularly affected. This year, the United States holds the 46th position in the global ranking, with a relatively lower performance in the Human Rights sub-index (77th). It appears well below its neighbor Canada (11th in the global ESG ranking, 14th for human rights). Aside from income inequalities, the USA faces significant group grievance, which led to increasing civil unrest in 2021 as compared to previous years.
In Europe, Germany, France and Italy have similar overall performances, ranked respectively 16th, 17th and 18th in the ESGI, while the United Kingdom ranks 26th. Presenting low results in political rights and civil liberties, Russia (76th) remains held back by its poor score in human rights (ranked 118th in the human rights sub-index).
In Asia, China ranks 107th and lags due to its massive environmental impact (ranked 161th in the sub-index), with poor air quality and high CO2 emissions per capita. The same holds true for India (139th), which ranks at the bottom end regarding the environment (178th in the environmental sub-index).
The ESG Index ranking ends with Somalia, the country with the highest risk this year, with the Central African Republic, Chad, The Democratic Republic of Congo and Yemen preceding it.
The complete 2021 ESGI results, including interactive data visualization and technical documentation, are available on a dedicated website: https://risk-indexes.com/esg-index/.
About the ESGI
The ESG Index (ESGI) measures issues related to three key areas: the environment (30%), Human Rights (50%) and Health & Safety (20%). Based on a set of 65 variables, the ESGI’s fourth edition offers a risk score on a 0-100 range, where 0 represents the lowest risk and 100 the highest risk. A rank and a risk evaluation are also provided for each jurisdiction.
About GRP
Global Risk Profile (GRP) is a leading Swiss company specializing in ethics & compliance management related services. Since its foundation in 2009, GRP has placed Due Diligence at the heart of its activities. Its services now range from compliance software solutions to Due Diligence checks & investigations with various coverage and scope, suitable for both multinationals and small businesses.
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