China leads countries with highest number of LEED certifications

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announced the Top 10 Countries and Regions for its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification system, which highlights countries and regions outside of the U.S. that are making significant strides in sustainable building design, construction and market transformation. These countries and regions represent the ever-growing international demand for LEED green buildings. This year, China moved from second to first on the list as the largest user of LEED with 372 million gross square feet of certified LEED space. Canada, India, Brazil and the Republic of Korea rounded out the top five countries on the list, respectively.

“By recognizing these leading countries and regions, we are showcasing the exponential growth of LEED in the global marketplace and an international commitment to the creation of a sustainable built environment," says Mahesh Ramanujam, president and CEO, USGBC. "As we pursue a worldwide effort to mitigate climate change, LEED and the green building industry have created a path forward for market transformation while changing the way we think about how buildings, communities and cities are planned, constructed, maintained and operated."

Global green building is expected to double every three years, according to a Dodge Data & Analytics World Green Building Trends 2016 SmartMarket report, to which USGBC was a contributing partner. Conducted in 70 countries and regions, the report found that emerging economies like China, India and Brazil will be engines of green growth, with development varying from twofold to sixfold over current green building levels. Increased consumer demand has also pushed the world's green building market to a trillion-dollar industry, a surge that has led to a corresponding increase in the scope and size of the green building materials market, which is expected to reach $234 billion by 2019.

The analysis used to develop the list ranks countries and regions in terms of cumulative LEED-certified gross square feet space as of December 2016. LEED-certified spaces use less energy and water resources, save money for families, businesses and taxpayers, reduce carbon emissions and prioritize environmental and human health.

Currently, there are more than 82,000 commercial projects participating in LEED totaling more than 15 billion gross square feet of space worldwide. An additional 112,000 residential units have been certified under LEED Homes. An estimated 1829,000 gross square feet of space achieves LEED certification every day in more than 162 countries and territories across the globe.