World Competitiveness Center
For more than 30 years, the World Competitiveness Center has pioneered research on how nations and enterprises compete to lay the foundations for future prosperity. We cooperate with a network of partners in 58 countries and produce research for governments, business, and academia as well as a family of global competitiveness rankings spanning digital, talent, smart cities, and sustainable trade.
A growing portfolio of rankings and reports
We produced four rankings with accompanying reports in 2022: the IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook, the IMD World Digital Competitiveness Ranking, the IMD World Talent Ranking, and – a new addition to the portfolio – the Hinrich-IMD Sustainable Trade Index (STI).
We are delighted to have partnered with the Singapore-based Hinrich Foundation for the STI, together measuring global economies’ capacities to participate in international trade in a way that supports global economic, social, and environmental goals. The 30 economies covered take in APEC members, CPTPP members and applicants, and RCEP members, plus Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. In the 2022 index, New Zealand ranked first, the UK second, and Hong Kong third.
Our flagship 2022 World Competitiveness Ranking saw Denmark reach the top spot for the first time in the ranking’s 34-year history, having come third in 2021. It performed outstandingly in the business efficiency factor (first) and in the productivity and efficiency (first) and management practices (first) sub-factors. Switzerland moved down to second (from first) and Singapore rebounded to third (from fifth).
World Competitiveness Ranking 2022
Assesses the extent to which an economy is able to foster an environment in which enterprises can generate sustainable value creation.
- Denmark
- Switzerland
- Singapore
- Sweden
- Hong Kong SAR
World Digital Competitiveness Ranking 2022
Assesses the capacity of an economy to adopt and explore digital technologies leading to transformation in government practices, business models, and society in general.
- Denmark
- USA
- Sweden
- Singapore
- Switzerland
World Talent Ranking 2021
Assesses the extent to which nations develop, attract and retain talent for enterprises operating in those economies.
- Switzerland
- Sweden
- Luxembourg
- Norway
- Denmark
Creating an impact
The Center’s Director, Professor Arturo Bris, remained active in IMD’s quarterly magazine I by IMD, publishing an article in each edition, and was highly active on the international stage speaking on 17 occasions – from a masterclass on the competitive landscape in India to the World Smart City Congress in Barcelona, invited by the Madinah Region Development Authority.
Chief Economist Christos Cabolis and Senior Researcher José Caballero picked up the baton, variously, at presentations including one for Bahrain’s Ministry of Finance and National Economy (“Bahrain in the IMD World Talent Ranking”) and another for the Asociación de Industriales de Puerto Rico, (“IMD Competitiveness Rankings: Relevance and Uses”).
The center was commissioned to produce a special report and workshop on Kuwait.
WCC rankings were covered by media outlets worldwide including Bloomberg Asia TV, CNN Philippines, BBC, CNBC, LBC Radio, Times Radio, The Times and The Daily Telegraph.
World Competitiveness Ranking 2022
3,054 online articles in the first week of publication
with a potential reach that week of 10.8 billion
Digital Competitiveness Ranking 2022
7,400 online articles with a potential reach to date of 40.8 billion