The University of Haifa was ranked in the top 101-200 universities worldwide by the Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings, a global university ranking which measures the success of academic institutions in delivering the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Approximately 1700 institutions participated in the 2023 Ranking, and the University of Haifa is ranked highest among Israeli universities. The University advanced from places 300-201 last year, and 400-301 two years ago.

The University’s achievements in the fields of environmental sustainability (Life below water SDG14; Life on land SDG15) and social sustainability (Good health SDG3; Quality education SDG4; Gender equality SDG5; Sustainable cities and communities SDG11; and Peace and justice SDG16) are particularly notable.

The University of Haifa is the first among higher education institutions in Israel to adopt the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations as its road map, by promoting these goals through research, teaching, public engagement, and operations: THE ranks the academic institutions in each of the destinations according to the quality of research, study programs and student activity, public involvement, and internal conduct of the institution.

The Impact Ranking 2023 results express the depth and breadth of the university’s activities. The sustainability initiative is university-wide and multidisciplinary: this year ranking in 13 of the 17 SDGs. In six of the SDGs the University of Haifa was ranked among the first 50 universities in the world.

Considerable achievements were made in promoting the following goals:

• SDG5 Gender Equality – 9th place in the world (up from 55th place in 2022)
• SDG11 Sustainable Cities and Communities – 25th place in the world
• SDG16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions – 28th place in the world (up from 95th place in 2022)
• SDG14 Life Under Water – 28th place in the world (up from 98th place in 2022)
• SDG4 Quality Education – 30th place in the world (up from 48th place in 2022)
• SDG15 Life on Earth – 45th place in the world
• SDG8 Decent Work and Economic Growth – 47th place in the world (up from 68th place in 2022)
• SDG3 Good Health – 52nd place in the world (up from 84th place in 2022)

The University of Haifa is ranked for the first time on two important goals on the global agenda: SDG2 ‘Zero Hunger’ – ranked 93rd in the world; and SDG1 ‘No Poverty’ – 101-200 in 2023.