Corporate Climate Target-Setting Rises 40% in 2025 as Asia Accelerates

The Science Based Targets initiative's Trend Tracker 2025 report shows that the number of companies with validated science-based targets grew by 40% during 2025, with 9,764 companies holding validated targets by year-end and the global total surpassing 10,000 in January 2026. Asia recorded the fastest regional growth at 53%, adding 1,216 companies — nearly matching Europe's addition of 1,209.

Validated net-zero targets grew even faster than near-term targets during 2025, rising by 61% over the year. Asia's expansion was driven not only by major economies including China, Japan and India but also by strong uptake in emerging markets such as Indonesia, Pakistan, Singapore and Thailand. Japan leads globally with 2,091 companies holding validated targets at the end of 2025, followed by the United Kingdom at 1,363 and the United States at 943. Europe still accounts for the highest share in absolute terms, representing 49% of all validated targets globally.

India's participation in the Asia growth story is notable, as the subcontinent is increasingly integrated into global supply chains and faces growing pressure from investors and international partners to adopt credible climate commitments. The Healthcare, Information Technology and Materials sectors led sectoral growth globally in 2025. Market index penetration is highest in France's CAC 40, Germany's DAX 40 and the UK's FTSE 100, with the Nikkei 225 and S&P 500 also showing significant adoption. Africa and Latin America recorded the next highest proportional growth after Asia, at 48% and 42% respectively.

The SBTi's CEO David Kennedy attributed sustained growth to companies recognising the business benefits of science-based target-setting as a lever for managing transition risk and strengthening resilience, even amid political headwinds in some markets. The milestone of 10,000 validated companies, reached in January 2026, represents more than 40% of global market capitalisation. The data indicates that despite challenging external conditions, corporate climate action continues to scale, with the SBTi's validation services processing more than 2,800 new company targets in 2025 alone.

Key figure — 53% growth in Asia-based companies with validated science-based targets in 2025