IMD World Competitiveness Rankings 2018 Results

Marking its 30th edition this year, the IMD World Competitiveness Rankings emphasize a long-term trend highlighted in past editions – that the countries on the top of the list each have a unique approach to becoming competitive.



Our mission remains to help countries achieve prosperity and higher quality of life. And this is how we expect our rankings to be used and interpreted: competitiveness is both a tool and an objective of economic policy.



The top five most competitive economies in the world remain the same as in the previous year, but their order changes. The United States returns to the first spot, followed by Hong Kong, Singapore, the Netherlands and Switzerland. The Netherlands moves one place to 4th, swapping with Switzerland which moves down to 5th.



The remaining places in the top 10 are occupied largely by Nordic countries: Denmark, Norway and Sweden rank 6th, 8th and 9th respectively.