Britain ranks near the bottom of a major new global study examining how people feel connected to nature — placing 55th out of 61 nations.
Researchers found that Nepal is the most “nature-connected” country, followed by Iran, South Africa, Bangladesh, and Nigeria. At the other end of the scale, Spain, Japan, Israel, Germany, and Canada ranked even lower than the UK.
The study of 57,000 people across 61 countries, published in Ambio, found that “spirituality” was the strongest factor linked to a close relationship with nature. Societies with stronger religious or spiritual traditions tended to score higher, while countries with higher urbanization, income levels, and internet use showed weaker connections.
Britain’s low ranking comes despite high membership in environmental groups, suggesting that activism alone does not foster personal closeness to nature.
Professor Miles Richardson of the University of Derby, who led the research, said the findings highlight how modern, business-oriented societies have lost emotional ties with the natural world. “We’ve become a more rational and economic society,” he said. “We need to reintegrate natural thinking — making nature central to wellbeing and even sacred again.”
Richardson suggested incorporating nature into healthcare, business decision-making, and urban design to rebuild connection. “It’s not just about building parks,” he said. “It’s about creating meaningful, sacred urban nature.”
