In February 2025, Washington D.C. (the United States of America, USA)-based United States Green Building Council (USGBC) released its latest ‘Annual list of Top 10 countries and Regions for Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED) in 2024’. India has retained its 3rd spot globally on the list, with 370 LEED-certified projects, covering 8.50 million Gross Square Meters (GSM) or 91.5 million square feet (sq. ft.) area.
- India has consistently ranked among the top 3 countries on USGBC’s annual list, reflecting its commitment to achieve the United Nations (UN)’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for 2030.
- Chinese Mainland (or China) topped the list with 1,860 LEED-certified projects, covering over 25 million GSM, followed by Canada ranked at 2nd position with 300 projects, covering 10 million GSM.
Key Points:
i.The USGBC has annually ranked countries based on their LEED certifications since 2000). It is the world’s most widely used green building rating system in the world.
- 2025 marks the 25th anniversary of USGBC’s launch of the LEED rating system.
ii.To achieve LEED certification, a project earns points by adhering to prerequisites and credits that address carbon, energy, water, waste, transportation, materials, health and indoor environmental quality.
- There are 4 levels of LEED certification: Certified (40-49 points), Silver (50-59 points), Gold (60-79 points) and Platinum (80+ points).
ii.The countries and regions on the list are ranked based on data and analysis of LEED-certified GSM space between January 1 2024 and December 31, 2024.
iii.It should be noted that the USA is not included in the ranking, but remains the world’s largest market for LEED, with over 56 million square meters (sq. m) certified in 2024.
iv.The annual rankings by USBC highlighted the significant strides made by countries and regions outside the United States of America (USA) significant in sustainable building design, construction and operations.
Other Key Findings:
i. Bottom 5 countries on the list: Mexico (6th); Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) of People’s Republic of China (PRC) (7th); Italy (8th); Brazil (9th) and Turkey (10th).
ii.Over 33% (1/3rd) of project certifications in Turkey were for existing buildings.
iii.Portobello Shop (Brazil) was the 1st first project in the world to certify under the LEED version 5(v5) for Operations and Maintenance (O+M) beta program.
iv.Torre Diana (Mexico) became the world’s 1st office project to be certified under LEED v5 achieving Platinum certification.
- While, Tlanelpark IV (Mexico) became the world’s 1st LEED v5 industrial manufacturing project.
Top 5 Rankings:
| Rank | Country Name | Total Number of Projects | Total Square Meters |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chinese Mainland | 1,860 | 25,691,198 |
| 2 | Canada | 300 | 10,070,936 |
| 3 | India | 370 | 8,506,012 |
| 4 | South Korea | 70 | 3,248,350 |
| 5 | The United Arab Emirates (UAE) | 130 | 3,226,489 |
India Specific:
i.LEED certifications in India are administered by the USA based Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI), which works to promote the adoption of green buildings nationwide.
ii.LEED-certified projects in India witnessed significant growth in year 2024, led by Operations and Maintenance (O+M), accounting for 153 projects, followed by Interior Design and Construction (ID+C) with 102 projects; and Building Design and Construction (BD+C) with 61 projects.
iii.Grade A office saw significant increase in registrations in 2024, with 455 projects covering 185 million sq. ft.
- Other important sectors are: retail (80 projects with 23 million sq. ft.); industrial manufacturing (71 projects with 12 million sq. ft.); residential 33 projects with 10 million sq. ft.); and lodging (22 projects with 7 million sq. ft.).
iv.India has also included 345 new LEED–credentialed professionals and 12 LEED fellows in 2024.
About United States Green Building Council (USGBC):
President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO)- Peter Templeton
Headquarters- Washington D.C., the United States of America (USA)
Established- 1993
