Azerbaijan becomes only South Caucasus country featured in QS Sustainability 2026 ranking

Global rating agency Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) has released its QS Sustainability 2026 ranking, with Azerbaijan standing out as the only country from the South Caucasus represented in the list. The number of Azerbaijani universities included in the ranking has risen to eight, marking a significant expansion of the country’s presence in the global assessment.

This year’s list features Azerbaijan State Economic University, Baku State University, Azerbaijan State Oil and Industry University, Baku Engineering University, Azerbaijan Technical University, Azerbaijan University of Architecture and Construction, Khazar University, and West Caspian University, Caliber.Az reports via local media. 

According to the results, Azerbaijan State University of Economics entered the top 800, while Baku State University placed within the top 1000. The remaining six institutions were ranked in the 1001+ and 1501+ categories.

Azerbaijani universities also showed strong performance in the “Sustainable Development in Environmental Protection” category, with three institutions placed among the world’s top 400. Baku State University ranked 57th globally, Azerbaijan State Economic University took 309th place, and Azerbaijan State Oil and Industry University ranked 398th.

The QS Sustainability ranking evaluates universities based on three key areas: Environmental Impact (45%), Social Impact (45%), and Governance Model (10%).

At the global level, Sweden’s Lund University topped this year’s sustainability ranking, followed by the University of Toronto in second place and UCL in third. Nearly 2,000 institutions worldwide were included in the 2026 edition, reflecting the growing importance of sustainability commitments across the higher education sector.

By Sabina Mammadli