The Nature Conservation Index (NCI) 2025, developed by BioDB in collaboration with the Goldman Sonnenfeldt School of Sustainability and Climate Change at Ben-Gurion University, provides a comprehensive, data-driven assessment of biodiversity and conservation efforts across 180 countries.
The index evaluates countries using 26 performance indicators based on data from sources such as the IUCN and the World Bank. It examines factors including protected area coverage, species at risk, conservation laws and future environmental trends, offering an objective overview of global biodiversity at a time when habitat loss, pollution, invasive species and other pressures are accelerating species decline.
The NCI 2025 is structured around four main pillars: land management, threats to biodiversity, capacity and governance, and future trends. These pillars assess how countries manage terrestrial and marine ecosystems, measure risks to species and habitats, evaluate conservation-related governance and resources, and project readiness for future environmental challenges.
A key addition in the 2025 edition is the Biodiversity Intactness Index (BII), which measures the condition and quality of ecosystems by estimating how much of a region’s original biodiversity remains despite human activity. Higher BII scores indicate ecosystems that remain closer to their natural state.
In the 2025 global ranking, Estonia ranks first with a score of 69.9, followed by Denmark (68.7) and Luxembourg (68.4). Finland (65.7), the United Kingdom (63.4), and Switzerland (63.2) also rank in the top ten, reflecting the strong performance of Northern and Baltic European countries in this index.
At the lower end of the ranking are countries such as Kiribati (41.3), Turkey (41.3) and Iraq (43), where factors such as geographic constraints, habitat conversion and governance capacity affect conservation outcomes.
The updated 2025 index reflects refinements in data and methodology compared to the previous edition, incorporating the latest available information to provide a more accurate picture of global biodiversity trends. The NCI is used by governments, researchers and organisations to assess conservation performance, identify priority areas and support decision-making related to environmental protection and sustainable development.
