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The report shows that India climbed two places to rank 70th globally, driven by stronger readiness and broad-based improvements across its energy ecosystem. Significant gains in infrastructure and human capital, coupled with progress in sustainability, equity and financial investment, enabled the country to stand out among major economies.
In one of its strongest endorsements of India’s progress, the WEF described the country as “a key player in the next phase of the transition”, highlighting New Delhi’s growing influence in the global clean-energy conversation.
India’s ETI score rose by 1.9 per cent over the year. According to the report, this improvement was fuelled by an infrastructure-led clean-energy strategy that includes the expansion of renewable energy capacity, strengthening of power grids and advancement of green hydrogen initiatives. These measures have not only accelerated India’s transition efforts but have also enhanced energy security and affordability, two factors that are increasingly shaping energy policy worldwide.
India’s Clean-Energy Push Is Creating Jobs and Building Long-Term Capacity
The report highlights that India’s progress is not limited to policy announcements or infrastructure projects. It is also generating measurable economic and employment gains.
The share of low-carbon jobs in India increased by 24 per cent in 2024, reflecting the growing contribution of clean-energy industries to the country’s economy. Renewable energy employment reached 1.3 million jobs, marking a 25 per cent increase compared to 2023.
Hydropower emerged as the largest source of employment within India’s renewable energy sector, demonstrating that established clean-energy technologies continue to play a crucial role alongside newer initiatives such as green hydrogen.
The WEF also credited India’s focus on energy security and affordability as a major driver of its progress. These investments have enabled the country to record one of the strongest readiness gains among major economies despite the broader challenges confronting emerging markets.
A World Investing More but Progressing Less
India’s rise comes against a global backdrop that is far less encouraging.
According to the ETI 2026, 56 per cent of countries improved their overall energy transition scores this year. System performance increased by an average of 0.43 per cent, supported primarily by improvements in sustainability and equity.
However, the number of countries making progress across all key dimensions of energy-system performance declined. Only 24 per cent of nations managed to improve simultaneously across all three core metrics, compared with 28 per cent in 2025.
More significantly, overall ETI scores remained virtually unchanged, rising by just 0.03 per cent. The report attributes this stagnation to the first decline in transition readiness in more than a decade, suggesting that many countries are struggling to build the foundations necessary for sustained long-term progress.
Developed by the World Economic Forum in collaboration with Accenture, the Energy Transition Index has been published for sixteen years and assesses 120 countries through 44 indicators measuring energy security, sustainability, equity and preparedness for future energy needs.
Record Capital Flows Cannot Mask Growing Vulnerabilities
One of the report’s most striking findings is the growing disconnect between investment levels and actual transition outcomes.
Global energy investment reached a record USD 3.3 trillion, including USD 2.3 trillion directed towards clean-energy projects. Yet energy security weakened and transition readiness deteriorated in many regions, exposing vulnerabilities that unprecedented levels of spending have failed to resolve.
The WEF pointed to geopolitical fragmentation, rising demand and disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz as major factors intensifying existing weaknesses within the global energy system.
These pressures have widened the gap between countries leading the transition and those struggling to keep pace.
Finance and investment emerged as the weakest-performing category in the index, declining by 1.8 per cent. The report noted that nearly 75 per cent of global clean-energy investment remains concentrated in a small group of markets, while countries expected to account for 80 per cent of future demand growth continue to face financing costs two to three times higher than those in advanced economies.
This imbalance is increasingly becoming one of the biggest obstacles to the next phase of the global energy transition.
AI-Driven Demand Creates New Challenges
The report also warned that rapidly rising electricity demand is creating fresh pressures on energy systems worldwide.
Global power demand increased by 3 per cent during the year, driven by electrification, cooling requirements, expanding digital infrastructure and the rapid growth of artificial intelligence technologies.
Emerging economies accounted for approximately 80 per cent of this demand growth. Yet many continue to face financing constraints and infrastructure deficits, making large-scale energy transformation significantly more difficult.
The WEF cautioned that investment alone will not guarantee success. Without stronger policy frameworks, resilient infrastructure and improved access to capital, the pace of global progress could remain constrained.
India Emerges as a Bright Spot in an Uncertain Global Landscape
Advanced economies continued to dominate the rankings, with Sweden, Finland and Denmark retaining the top three positions. Fourteen of the top twenty spots were occupied by advanced economies.
Among G20 nations, Germany ranked ninth, France tenth, the United Kingdom eleventh, China fourteenth, Brazil seventeenth and the United States nineteenth.
Singapore recorded one of the largest improvements globally, climbing ten places to forty-second position on the back of stronger regulations and political commitment.
Yet among major emerging economies, India’s performance stands out. While many countries are grappling with slowing readiness, energy-security concerns and uneven access to capital, India has continued to strengthen its position through sustained investments in infrastructure, affordability and long-term resilience.
The WEF identified three priorities for sustaining future progress: embedding security, affordability and resilience as core design principles, accelerating grid expansion and system integration, and restoring investability through stable policies and targeted capital flows.
At a time when the global energy transition is facing its first major readiness setback in more than a decade, India’s trajectory offers a notable contrast. The latest WEF assessment suggests that New Delhi is no longer merely participating in the global transition. It is steadily emerging as one of the countries helping shape its future direction.
