ENVIRONMENTAL SOCIAL AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE (ESG) PERFORMANCE: AN INTERNATIONAL STUDY

Abstract

There has been a significant increase in demand for companies' environmental, social, and corporate governance performance in recent years. Companies voluntarily disclose this information, which is classified as non-financial information for them. The importance of disclosing this information varies by country. The aim of this study is to examine the averages of the companies' ESG scores at the country level. Within the framework of the criteria determined for this purpose, the country averages were determined over the ESG performances of the companies in 2009. The study included 35 different countries, and country rankings were determined based on total ESG performance as well as performance values for the sub-dimensions. According to the findings, European Union countries have the highest ESG scores, while countries in the Far East have the lowest.