Corporate climate target-setting up 40% in 2025, with Asia emerging as a centre of gravity

New data shows sustained growth in science-based and net-zero targets through 2025, leading to 10,000 companies with validated targets globally in January 2026.

The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) today published its Trend Tracker 2025, showing that corporate climate target-setting continued to grow strongly in 2025, with a 40% increase in companies with validated targets over the past year.

By the end of 2025, 9,764 companies had validated science-based targets. Over the same period, the number of companies with validated net-zero targets grew even faster, rising by 61%.

Key findings include:

• 40% increase in companies with validated science-based targets in 2025
• 61% growth in companies with validated net-zero targets
• Asia fastest-growing region (+53%), now expanding at a scale comparable to Europe
• Nearly 10,000 companies globally with validated targets
• Strong sectoral growth led by Healthcare, Information Technology and Materials

These trends underpin the SBTi surpassing 10,000 companies with validated targets in January 2026, underscoring how climate action is becoming increasingly embedded in core business strategy worldwide.

Asia in Focus

Asia is emerging as a centre of gravity for corporate climate target-setting, with growth now occurring at a scale comparable to Europe. The region saw a 53% increase in companies setting science-based targets over the past 12 months.

With 1,216 additional companies adopting validated targets—closely matching Europe’s increase of 1,209—Asia’s role in shaping corporate climate ambition is becoming more pronounced.  

Growth is being driven not only by major economies such as China, Japan and India, but also by strong uptake across emerging markets including Indonesia, Pakistan, Singapore and Thailand. This indicates that climate target-setting is not only deepening in established markets, but also spreading across the region.

Global trends

Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean recorded the next highest proportional growth after Asia, increasing by 48% and 42% respectively. Europe continues to lead in absolute terms, accounting for the highest number of companies with targets overall, at 49% of all targets, followed closely by Asia at 36%, and then North America at 11%.

Japan continued to lead as the territory with the highest total number of companies with validated targets, with 2,091 at the end of 2025, followed by the United Kingdom (1,363) and the United States (943).

Market penetration and sector dynamics

The highest market index penetration by the SBTi is found in France’s CAC 40, Germany’s DAX 40, and the UK’s FTSE 100—reflecting the prominence of the SBTi in the European financial markets. The Nikkei 225 and S&P 500 follow, while the Forbes Global 2000 provides a global benchmark of adoption among the world’s largest companies.

Health Care led sectoral growth in 2025, with Information Technology and Materials also among the fastest-growing sectors for companies setting science-based targets, reflecting increasing momentum across both service-based and industrial segments of the economy.

Overall, the data indicates that corporate climate action continues to grow at scale, even as the broader external environment becomes more challenging.

David Kennedy, Chief Executive Officer of the Science-Based Targets initiative, said:

“There is clear evidence about the business benefits of science-based target-setting—this is a key lever for companies to manage transition risk and strengthen business resilience, remaining competitive now and in the future. The data in this report shows that despite political headwinds, increasing numbers of companies in every region are setting science-based targets. In doing so they are part of a market transformation that is good for business while contributing to achieving global climate objectives.”