USGBC Announces International Rankings of Top 10 Countries for LEED Green Building
Demand for sustainable building continues to grow throughout the globe
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announced its international rankings of the Top 10 Countries for LEED, the world’s
most widely used and recognized green building rating system.
The Top 10 list highlights countries outside of the U.S. that are
making significant strides in sustainable building design, construction and transformation, illustrating the ever-growing international demand for LEED green buildings. The 10 countries
that made the list for 2015 are geographically and culturally diverse, representing seven of the world’s 20 largest single-nation
economies by gross domestic product (GDP), as well as six of
the top 11 emitters of greenhouse gases. While Canada tops
the list, Brazil and the Republic of Korea have moved up in the
rankings and Turkey and Sweden are new to the Top 10 this year.
The analysis used to develop the list ranks countries in terms
of gross square meters (GSM) and numbers of LEED projects
to date. LEED-certified spaces use less energy and water resources, save money for families, businesses and taxpayers,
reduce carbon emissions and create a healthier environment
for residents, workers and the larger community. The U.S., the
birthplace of LEED, is not included in this list but remains the
world’s largest market for LEED. The U.S. is the world’s largest
economy by GDP as well as the world’s second largest emitter
of greenhouse gases.
Canada ranks number one on the list as the largest user of
LEED outside of the U.S. with 26.63 million GSM of LEED space.
There are now over 4,814 LEED-registered and LEED-certified
projects representing 63.31 million GSM of LEED space in Can-
ada. China ( 21.97 million GSM), India ( 13. 24 million GSM) and
Brazil ( 5. 22 million GSM), three of the four BRIC economies,
finished second through fourth on this year’s list, respectively.
These three countries currently represent more than 33 percent
of global greenhouse gas emissions, with China and India rep-
resenting the largest source of projected growth in global emis-
sions in the coming decades.
The Republic of Korea ( 4.81 million GSM) and Taiwan ( 3.84
million GSM) join China in providing a strong East Asian contingent to the 2015 rankings. Having two of the original tiger economies join China, India and Brazil on this year’s list demonstrates
that LEED is taking hold in some of the world’s fastest growing
economies, and that green buildings have enormous strategic
value in terms of controlling emissions in countries that many climate watchers have noted hold the key to staving off the worst
impacts of climate change.
Germany ( 4.01 million GSM) and Sweden (2.54 million GSM)
represent Europe on this list, with Germany finishing sixth and
Sweden making the list for the first time in 10thplace. Both nations are routinely cited for their innovation and leadership in
international efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Middle Eastern countries, United Arab Emirates ( 3. 13 million GSM) and Turkey (2.95 million GSM) have both had strong
green building years. The UAE increased its total amount of
LEED-certified space by 72 percent over last year, and climbed
from ninth place overall in 2014 to eighth overall in 2015. Turkey made the Top 10 list for the first time in the nation’s history,
finishing ninth overall.
The full ranking is as follows:
Rank Nation GSM of LEED-
certified space
(million)
Total GSM of
LEED-certified
and registered
space (millions)
Total number of
LEED-certified and
registered projects
1 Canada 26.63 63.31 4,814
2 China 21.97 118.34 2,022
3 India 13. 24 73.51 1,883
4 Brazil 5. 22 24. 50 991
5 Republic of Korea 4.81 17. 47 279
6 Germany 4.01 8. 42 431
7 Taiwan 3.84 9.08 149
8 United Arab Emirates 3. 13 53.44 910
9 Turkey 2.95 23.74 477
10 Sweden 2.54 4. 20 197
United States 276.90 727.34 53,908
