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What is driving the growth of ESG investments?
The growth of sustainable investments is driven by several factors: from the politicization of ESG, impact on risk and return, from investor demand, to influence corporate behavior, and keeping a good brand and reputation, just to name a few. Although some investors still believe that it might have a negative impact on risk and return, meaning they believe that the ESG portfolios will underperform compared to non-ESG portfolios, and they do not want to sacrifice investment performance. This unwillingness to accept lower return or increasing risk used to be the main barrier to wider adoption of ESG investing, but it is, however, becoming more acknowledged around the world that investments in sustainable securities such as funds can perform even better, or at least as well as non-ESG portfolios, and can help mitigate risk. The main reason keeping investors and firms from engaging with ESG today is due to factors, such as lack of knowledge, lack of comparability of ESG data across issuers, or regulatory or legal constraints.
How is ESG performance measured?
ESG impact is still hard to measure, despite around one third of invested assets being defined as sustainable, and despite the growing awareness to the topic. There are several score systems in use to measure the risks and effects of investments, such as the most widely used Sustainalytics, MSCI ESG ratings, and S&P Global (RobecoSAM), but there are also other third-party ratings or awards. These scores, or ratings, are the most common tools used by both institutional investors and fund selectors to help measuring the impact. They do, however, show significant divergence in many cases, even when being standardized and measuring the impact of one and the same company. There are also several different sustainability reporting frameworks to help enterprises communicate their impacts, although there are large differences between stock exchanges in which of these frameworks are being referenced. This divergence in ESG reporting prove that measuring ESG impact is hard, but not impossible, and many investors are calling for a more standardized reporting framework and regulation around the topic.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.
Published by Statista Research Department, Mar 8, 2024
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Reporting frameworks referenced in stock exchange ESG guidance worldwide 2023
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Leading methods used by institutions to implement ESG worldwide 2023
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ESG assets
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- Premium Statistic Assets of sustainable funds worldwide Q2 2023, by region
- Premium Statistic Global ESG ETF assets 2006-2023
- Premium Statistic AUM of sustainable funds worldwide 2018-2023
- Premium Statistic Average net sector weight of sustainable and traditional equity funds worldwide, 2023
ESG assets
- Premium Statistic Assets of sustainable funds worldwide Q2 2023, by region
Assets of sustainable funds worldwide Q2 2023, by region
Asset size of sustainable funds worldwide as of the second quarter of 2023, by region (in billion U.S. dollars)
- Premium Statistic Global ESG ETF assets 2006-2023
Global ESG ETF assets 2006-2023
Global ESG ETF assets from 2006 to November 2023 (in billion U.S. dollars)
- Premium Statistic AUM of sustainable funds worldwide 2018-2023
AUM of sustainable funds worldwide 2018-2023
Assets under management of sustainable funds worldwide from 2018 to December 2023 (in billion U.S. dollars)
- Premium Statistic Average net sector weight of sustainable and traditional equity funds worldwide, 2023
Average net sector weight of sustainable and traditional equity funds worldwide, 2023
Average net weight of sustainable and traditional equity funds worldwide in 2023, by sector
Top funds
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- Premium Statistic Leading sustainable funds in Europe Q4 2023, by net flows
- Premium Statistic Leading sustainable funds in the U.S. Q4 2023, by net flows
- Premium Statistic Leading ESG ETFs in the U.S. 2023, by net assets and number of holdings
- Premium Statistic Top ESG ETFs worldwide 2023, by YTD performance
- Premium Statistic Top ESG ETFs in the U.S. 2023, by total net assets
- Premium Statistic Largest ESG ETFs by AUM in the Americas 2023
- Premium Statistic Largest socially responsible ETFs in Europe as of January 2024, by fund size
- Premium Statistic Leading socially responsible ETFs in Europe as of January 2024, by 1-year return
Top funds
- Premium Statistic Leading sustainable funds in Europe Q4 2023, by net flows
Leading sustainable funds in Europe Q4 2023, by net flows
Leading 10 sustainable funds in Europe as of 4th quarter 2023, by net flows (in billion U.S. dollars)
- Premium Statistic Leading sustainable funds in the U.S. Q4 2023, by net flows
Leading sustainable funds in the U.S. Q4 2023, by net flows
Leading 10 sustainable funds in the United States as of 4th quarter 2023, by net flows (in million U.S. dollars)
- Premium Statistic Leading ESG ETFs in the U.S. 2023, by net assets and number of holdings
Leading ESG ETFs in the U.S. 2023, by net assets and number of holdings
Leading ESG ETFs in the United States as of September 2023, by net assets and number of holdings (in million U.S. dollars)
- Premium Statistic Top ESG ETFs worldwide 2023, by YTD performance
Top ESG ETFs worldwide 2023, by YTD performance
Top ESG exchange traded funds (ETFs) worldwide in 2023, by YTD performance
- Premium Statistic Top ESG ETFs in the U.S. 2023, by total net assets
Top ESG ETFs in the U.S. 2023, by total net assets
Top ESG ETFs in the U.S. in 2023, by total net assets (in million U.S. dollars)
- Premium Statistic Largest ESG ETFs by AUM in the Americas 2023
Largest ESG ETFs by AUM in the Americas 2023
Largest ESG ETFs in the Americas as of July 2023, based on assets under management (in million U.S. dollars)
- Premium Statistic Largest socially responsible ETFs in Europe as of January 2024, by fund size
Largest socially responsible ETFs in Europe as of January 2024, by fund size
Largest socially responsible (SRI) ETFs in Europe as of January 2024, by fund size (in million euros)
- Premium Statistic Leading socially responsible ETFs in Europe as of January 2024, by 1-year return
Leading socially responsible ETFs in Europe as of January 2024, by 1-year return
Leading socially responsible (SRI) ETFs in Europe as of January 2024, by 1-year return
ESG policies
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- Premium Statistic Reporting frameworks referenced in stock exchange ESG guidance worldwide 2023
- Premium Statistic Leading methods used by institutions to implement ESG worldwide 2023
- Premium Statistic Impact of ESG politicization on institutional investing worldwide 2022
- Premium Statistic Leading challenges facing firms when preparing ESG assurance worldwide 2023
- Premium Statistic Frequency of ESG staff training among firms worldwide 2023
- Premium Statistic Leading methods for ESG ETF evaluation among investors and firms worldwide 2023
ESG policies
- Premium Statistic Reporting frameworks referenced in stock exchange ESG guidance worldwide 2023
Reporting frameworks referenced in stock exchange ESG guidance worldwide 2023
Share of reporting frameworks referenced in stock exchange ESG guidance worldwide 2023, by framework
- Premium Statistic Leading methods used by institutions to implement ESG worldwide 2023
Leading methods used by institutions to implement ESG worldwide 2023
Leading methods used by institutions to implement environmental, social and governance (ESG) worldwide in 2023
- Premium Statistic Impact of ESG politicization on institutional investing worldwide 2022
Impact of ESG politicization on institutional investing worldwide 2022
The degree to which politicization of ESG has impacted institutional investors worldwide in 2022
- Premium Statistic Leading challenges facing firms when preparing ESG assurance worldwide 2023
Leading challenges facing firms when preparing ESG assurance worldwide 2023
Leading challenges facing firms when preparing environmental, social and governance (ESG) assurance worldwide in 2023
- Premium Statistic Frequency of ESG staff training among firms worldwide 2023
Frequency of ESG staff training among firms worldwide 2023
Frequency of environmental, social and governance (ESG) staff training among firms worldwide in 2023, by ESG advancement level
- Premium Statistic Leading methods for ESG ETF evaluation among investors and firms worldwide 2023
Leading methods for ESG ETF evaluation among investors and firms worldwide 2023
Leading methods for environmental, social and governance (ESG) ETF evaluation among institutional investors and firms worldwide in 2023
Targets and drivers
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- Premium Statistic Most targeted UN SDG of ESG ETFs worldwide 2024, by assets
- Premium Statistic Most targeted UN SDG of ESG ETFs worldwide 2024, by number of ETFs
- Premium Statistic ESG drivers impacting investment decisions worldwide 2023, by region
- Premium Statistic Top sustainable debt instruments for supporting issuers transition worldwide 2023
- Premium Statistic Perceived demand for sustainable funds 2023 in Europe and North America
Targets and drivers
- Premium Statistic Most targeted UN SDG of ESG ETFs worldwide 2024, by assets
Most targeted UN SDG of ESG ETFs worldwide 2024, by assets
Most targeted Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of ESG ETFs worldwide in 2024, by assets (in billion U.S. dollars)
- Premium Statistic Most targeted UN SDG of ESG ETFs worldwide 2024, by number of ETFs
Most targeted UN SDG of ESG ETFs worldwide 2024, by number of ETFs
Most targeted Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of ESG ETFs worldwide in 2024, by number of ETFs
- Premium Statistic ESG drivers impacting investment decisions worldwide 2023, by region
ESG drivers impacting investment decisions worldwide 2023, by region
Environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) drivers impacting investment decisions worldwide in 2023, by region
- Premium Statistic Top sustainable debt instruments for supporting issuers transition worldwide 2023
Top sustainable debt instruments for supporting issuers transition worldwide 2023
Top debt instruments for supporting an issuer's transition to a sustainable strategy worldwide in 2023, by security type
- Premium Statistic Perceived demand for sustainable funds 2023 in Europe and North America
Perceived demand for sustainable funds 2023 in Europe and North America
Perceived demand for sustainable funds against non-sustainable funds in 2023 in Europe and North America, by region
Performance
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- Premium Statistic Median returns of sustainable funds vs. other funds worldwide H1 2019- H2 2023
- Premium Statistic Leading sustainable debt products actively invested in by global investors 2024
- Premium Statistic Share of investors that view ESG as integral in credit analysis worldwide 2022
Performance
Performance difference between the S&P 500 ESG and S&P 500 indexes 2021-2024
Comparison of the effect of the S&P 500 ESG and S&P 500 indices between February 2021 and February 2024 (in standardized index points)
- Premium Statistic Median returns of sustainable funds vs. other funds worldwide H1 2019- H2 2023
Median returns of sustainable funds vs. other funds worldwide H1 2019- H2 2023
Median returns on sustainable funds compared to non-ESG funds worldwide from 1st half of 2019 to 2nd half of 2023
- Premium Statistic Leading sustainable debt products actively invested in by global investors 2024
Leading sustainable debt products actively invested in by global investors 2024
Leading sustainable debt products actively invested in by global investors in 2024
- Premium Statistic Share of investors that view ESG as integral in credit analysis worldwide 2022
Share of investors that view ESG as integral in credit analysis worldwide 2022
Share of investors that view economic, social, and, governance (ESG) as integral in credit analysis worldwide in 2022
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