Energy Transition Index 2025: Despite Progress, India Ranks 71st

India has been ranked 71st out of 118 countries in the latest Energy Transition Index (ETI) released by the World Economic Forum (WEF), a comprehensive benchmarking tool featured in the WEF’s Fostering Effective Energy Transition 2025 report published in collaboration with Accenture

Despite this ranking drop, the report acknowledges India’s substantial progress in energy efficiency and investment capacity, positioning it among the countries showing potential for future gains. India’s Energy Transition Index (ETI) score for 2025 is 53.3, with sub-scores of 60.4 for system performance and 42.7 for transition readiness

Key Drivers of India’s Performance

The report attributes India’s progress to:

• Lower energy intensity, reflecting more efficient energy use.
• Improved regulatory environment and financial investments, especially in clean and renewable energy sectors.
• A focus on reducing methane emissions, which complements India’s climate mitigation efforts

However, India’s transition readiness—which includes education, innovation, infrastructure, regulation, and finance—remains a concern. The score of 42.7 in this area is significantly below the top performers like Sweden and Finland, signaling systemic challenges that may hinder long-term scalability and resilience.

Global Trends and Context

The 2025 edition of the ETI shows a modest but broad-based recovery in global energy transition momentum, with the global average score rising by 1.1% year-on-year—more than double the average of the past three years.

The report notes that 65% of countries improved their ETI scores this year. However, only 28% made gains across all three core dimensions: energy security, equity, and sustainability, reflecting continued unevenness in progress.

India’s performance fits this broader narrative: while it has advanced in affordability and investment, it continues to face infrastructure bottlenecks, import dependency, and workforce development gaps.

Top Performers and Regional Comparisons

• Sweden: Ranked 1st – Maintains top position with strong performance in all energy dimensions.
• Finland, Denmark, Norway, Switzerland: Hold top five spots – Benefit from strong policies, clean energy diversity, and robust infrastructure.
• China: Climbed to 12th – Driven by highest global clean energy investments and innovation capacity.
• United States: Ranked 17th – Strong in energy security and sustainability.
• Pakistan: Positioned at 101st – Indicates challenges in performance and readiness.
• Democratic Republic of the Congo: Ranked 118th – Lowest globally, reflecting major systemic gaps.

Challenges Ahead for India

While India’s energy equity has improved—especially in rural access and clean cooking fuels—its grid flexibility, supply diversification, and clean energy deployment outside the power sector remain areas of concern. The report emphasizes that transition readiness is essential for long-term success and calls for accelerated development in education, innovation, and regulatory capacity.

India’s path forward will require aligning short-term efficiency gains with long-term structural enablers—ensuring not just access and affordability but also resilience, innovation, and scalability in its evolving energy ecosystem.