World Competitiveness Index (IMD).

This index, which appeared in 1996, is calculated according to the methodology of the European Institute of Management Development (IMD), based in Lausanne (Switzerland).

This institute annually conducts a study of the competitiveness of countries and publishes the global competitiveness rating (The IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook). At the same time, competitiveness is understood as the ability of the national economy to create conditions for successful business.

The following factors of the national environment are studied:

• the state of the economy;
• efficiency government controlled;
• business performance;
• infrastructure.

Each of these factors is divided into five sub-factors, each of which is described in more detail by the respective criteria. These 20 subfactors summarize information on 333 criteria, although each of the subfactors does not necessarily have the same number of criteria.

The state of the economy - 79 criteria. A macroeconomic assessment of the national economy is given, the following areas are explored: “Domestic economy”, “International trade”, “ International investments”, “Employment” and “Prices”.

Efficiency of public administration - 62 criteria. The following areas are being explored: public finance”, “Fiscal policy”, “Institutional structure”, “Business legislation” and “Social structure”.

Business performance- 78 criteria. The national business environment is assessed in terms of innovation, profitability and responsibility. The following areas are being studied: "Productivity and Efficiency", "Labor Market", "Finance", "Management Practice", "Business Efficiency".

Infrastructure- 114 criteria. The concept of "infrastructure" is used conditionally here, since we are talking about assessing not only technological, but also scientific and human resources that meet the needs of the business. The following areas are analyzed: "Basic infrastructure", "Technological infrastructure", "Scientific infrastructure", "Health and environment", "Education".

Global Competitiveness Index (GCI). This index is a summary indicator of a country's competitiveness. It has been calculated by the World Economic Forum every year since 2004. For this, macroeconomic indicators are calculated that are most important for economic growth. Information base for calculations, 2/3 is formed from the expert opinion of representatives of business, political circles and government management and 1/3 from open materials of statistical data, sociological surveys and scientific research published in the press and carried out on a regular basis international organizations one . This index is also quite applicable to assessing the level of social economic development regions.

The innovative potential and competitiveness of companies are included in the list of benchmarks for this index.

It should be noted that often in foreign ratings, the innovative component of development is assessed as part of complex competitiveness indices. For example, in addition to the Global Competitiveness Index, one can name the Business Competitiveness Index (BCI), the Communication Environment Development Index (NRI), and the UNDP Technological Achievement Index (TAI).

But there are also specialized indices of innovative development. For example, innovation ability index, also calculated by the World Economic Forum. All indexes are aimed at assessing real achievements, while using both the method of surveys and processing statistical indicators. Indicators of the number of patents in a country, the number of scientists and engineers employed in research and development are often used, but indirect indicators, such as the number of students, can also be used.

In Russia, the use of specialized indices is difficult due to the low reliability of statistics innovation activities and the absence of many indicators in the regional context.

Evaluation of the effectiveness of the development of regions. As can be seen from the analysis of the methods and methods for calculating all the above-mentioned indices, they differ from each other in the composition of the indicators included in the calculations and in the way they are generalized. The selection and justification of these indicators each time is based on some subjective assessments. Therefore, different approaches give different results. An indicator is needed that would act as a single measure of assessing the level of socio-economic development of regions.

Let us consider an approach where efficiency is understood as the ratio of results to costs. Under the regional result, you can use various indicators, for example gross regional product B, and under costs - depreciation deductions A, material costs in the manufacturing sectors of region M, fund wages the same industries in region 3, service costs non-production character in the region W. Then the efficiency regional development will be determined by the formula

This approach to assessing the effectiveness of regional activities has a drawback - it does not reflect the social side of development.

Another approach is to assess the level of macroeconomic indicators. The ranking of the level of socio-economic development can be carried out both on the basis of a complex indicator, and on a single one, for example, the indicator of GRP per capita.

If we take into account factors that are difficult to formalize, but at the same time have great social significance, for example, factors of the military-political and socio-political environment of the regions, then in this case we will have to rely on expert opinions, i.e. subjective assessment.

The diversity of the index approach in relation to the assessment of the competitive level of socio-economic development of regions does not allow solving the main task - to give an objective assessment of this level and to conduct comparative analysis uneven regional development.

Grade investment attractiveness regions. Creating the necessary and favorable conditions for doing business and economic growth, improving the quality of life of the population occurs by attracting investments in real sector economy. The volume and growth rate of investments in fixed capital are indicators of the investment attractiveness of the region.

The two main approaches include the following country rankings:

• rating of countries by the level of attractiveness of doing business in them ( The World Bank) includes six independent indices;
• the index of economic freedom includes nine independent indices 1 .

To assess the regions, a a large number of methods that are now widely used. However, the whole set of methods and ratings can be divided into a small number of types. Thus, the staff of the Research Center economic policy Faculty of Economics, Moscow State University M. V. Lomonosov V. Bryzgalin and O. Buklemishev distinguish two main types of ratings:

• 1) comparative indicators that help investors generally assess the state of affairs in different regions in terms of business development in them;
• 2) a management tool of the authorities, contributing to the development of measures to improve the investment environment.

Statistical studies of recent years have shown that the investment climate in the regions of Russia is unfavorable and heterogeneous; differs from region to region, while the state is interested in understanding what makes successful regions successful. In this regard, the Agency for Strategic Initiatives (ASI) in 2012 launched a pilot project of the National rating of the state of the investment climate of the subjects of the Federation. aim this project is the assessment of the actions of the authorities regional government to create favorable conditions for doing business.

As a result, a regional investment standard was developed and implemented in 11 pilot regions. Since 2013, ASI has begun scaling the standard. The Agency provides methodological support for the implementation process, as well as organizational support for the activities of expert groups.

Grade economic security or sustainable development of regional socio-economic systems. Usually economic interests business entities do not contradict national interest However, such contradictions may still arise. For example, market mechanisms make it profitable to develop environmentally harmful industries, and the state is interested in restraining their development.

The federal level of power can provide protection only against major threats. The population, in their daily life, faces a large number of various threats, many of which are local in nature.

Taking into account the peculiarities of the problems of ensuring the economic security of the region, it is necessary to develop a special system of parameters that take into account the specifics of a particular territory. Existing systems indicators for assessing economic security are focused primarily on the federal level of government. However, given the importance and specific features of regional problems, it seems necessary to study the problems of safety indicators for the regions. The goals of applying such a technique are 1:

• grade crisis situations and threats of their occurrence in the socio-economic sphere of the region;
• assessment of the impact of local crisis situations on the national security of the subject of the Federation and Russia as a whole;
• development and justification of program-targeted measures to ensure economic security.

The system of parameters (threshold values) of the economic security of the region should be based on the fundamental provisions State strategy economic security Russian Federation, approved by Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of April 29, 1996 No. 608.

Each of the main indicators of threats to economic security is associated with an assessment of the situation in a particular area. The calculation of indicators considered in isolation from each other does not allow obtaining an objective assessment. Only a system of indicators allows us to draw conclusions about the real degree of threat to economic security. It is significant to compare the safety indicators of neighboring regions, as well as municipalities one region

Global Competitiveness Index 2018 showed that the US economy is closer to the "ideal state" than any other country. On a scale of 0 to 100, America scored 85.6, followed by Singapore (83.5), Germany (82.8), Switzerland (82.6) and Japan (82.5) last year. .

Competitiveness, presented at the World Economic Forum (WEF), is understood by the authors as the ability of a country to maintain high incomes, maintain a balance of socio-economic conditions and maintain life satisfaction among citizens.

Here's what the top 10 most competitive countries in 2018 look like

Why America has become the most globally competitive country in the world

The WEF highlights three dimensions of US superiority among the world's 140 economies. These are market size, innovation ecosystem (including entrepreneurial culture, its openness and flexibility) and stability.

However, the US is too early to rest on its laurels. America lags behind other advanced economies when it comes to public health, according to the WEF. Currently, the average age of survival in the country is 67.7 years. Security is also deteriorating, with homicide rates five times higher than the average for other advanced economies. Moreover, the US ranks 40th in terms of checks and balances, 15th in terms of judicial independence, and 16th in terms of corruption.

But if we consider innovation, then the American economy is very strong here. “Innovation has become one of the most important conditions for all advanced economies and is a priority for a growing number of developing countries. Already the vast majority of them are struggling to make innovation an important engine of growth.”, the authors of the report write. “The results show that there are only a few innovation heavyweights in the world, including Germany, the United States and Switzerland.”

Place of Russia in the ranking of global competitiveness of countries of the world

Russia's place in the competitiveness ranking

The Russian Federation is on the 43rd place in the list of the most competitive countries. She scored 65.6 points out of a hundred, and “jumped” two lines up at once compared to 2017. Growth prospects Russian economy make up 1.7% this year and this is the highest figure in five years.

WEF experts explain the improvement in Russia's performance by stabilizing the conditions for macroeconomic development, favorable conditions for innovative development, and the introduction of new information technologies in everyday life citizens of the country.

BUT weaknesses RF are financial and consumer markets as well as health care. According to the level of development, they are in 86, 83 and 100 places, respectively. On one of the 12 key “pillars”—namely, institutions—Russia scored just 52.7 points, ranking 72nd on the list.

The most uncompetitive country in the world

At the regional level, sub-Saharan Africa leads in the concentration of the world's most underperforming economies. Eight of the 10 least competitive countries are in this region.

And the most uncompetitive state in 2018 is Chad (140th place, 35.5 points out of 100 possible). In second place from the end is Yemen (36.4 points), and Haiti closes the top three outsiders (36.5 points).

Why does global competitiveness matter? The authors of the report believe that it contributes to a higher standard of living and creates the resources necessary to achieve a wide range of social goals.

Methodology for creating the Global Competitiveness Index

In 2018, WEF experts used a new methodology to create their annual report. This was necessary to reflect the shifts that took place in the world under the influence of the massive introduction of cyber-physical systems - the so-called Fourth Industrial Revolution.

The Index used 98 indicators and 12 “pillars” of competitiveness, based on which 140 countries were ranked on:

1. the quality of their institutions;
2. infrastructure;
3. introduction of information and communication technologies;
4. macroeconomic stability;
5. public health;
6. higher education and training;
7. consumer market;
8. the labor market;
9. financial system;
10. size domestic market;
11. business development dynamics;
12. innovative potential.

For each pillar, a scale from 0 to 100 was used. The higher a country scores, the closer its economy is to an ideal state, or “frontier” of competitiveness.

States all over the world are trying to gain recognition not only of their people, but also to take over the first lines of various ratings. Each country tries to be the best in one or all at once. Powers are recognized as the most cultured, most democratic, economically developed, peaceful or powerful. The state cannot succeed everywhere. Nevertheless, there are also such powers that are fighting for primacy in everything.

From the whole variety of honorary awards, you can choose the first place in another ranking, which depends on the global competitiveness index. We will talk about this in more detail later.

The economy is not easy

Most countries in the world have their strategic goals. But there are those that any power tries to fulfill. It is important for the state to ensure economic growth. This also includes the struggle for the well-being of every citizen.

Such a strategy implies not only the efforts of the authorities to improve the standard of living, but also defines additional requirements for the management of socio-economic development. Some states have chosen the path through innovative technologies. As experience has shown international relations, it is thanks to such a strategy that the country " economic miracle were able to improve their financial growth. It turns out that the global competitiveness index is affected by the stimulation of innovation.

But such economic model not subject to all states. There are those who still cannot establish an effective strategy for the development of innovations. These include not only the Russian Federation, but also other

Something needs to be done

Entrepreneurial activity is a driving force in the development of competitiveness. Of course, along with it there are many factors, nevertheless, it is thanks to entrepreneurship that it is possible to influence innovative technologies. In turn, this type of activity is subject to many indicators that reflect the economic policy of the country and the state of government institutions.

Who is in charge?

In 1971, the World Economic Forum (WEF) was created. This organization is known for gathering heads of state in Davos every year. In addition to leaders, business leaders and journalists come here. For 45 years, the forum has been discussing issues related not only to the economy, but also to other acute global problems: environmental protection and healthcare.

It is worth noting that this is a Swiss organization founded by Professor Klaus Schwab. On the this moment He is also the undisputed leader. There is also a permanent executive body - the Board of Directors. About 1000 companies and organizations from all over the world have membership in the WEF.

The World Economic Forum was created not only for discussions. Another of his tasks remains the study of the spheres of politics and economics. In 1979, an annual report on global competition was introduced. He evaluated more than a hundred countries of the world according to two criteria: the index of potential growth and competitiveness.

Expert-analytical research

Previously, it only produced reports. But since 2004, it has created a direct rating of states, which was based on the index. This indicator assesses the ability of the country to ensure a high level of well-being of citizens. The effectiveness of the use of internal resources, the support of living standards, labor productivity and the quality of services were also taken into account.

Tasks of the WEF

Before calculating the Global Competitiveness Index, experts must analyze publicly available statistics and the results of a global CEO survey.

According to the definition of the organization, national competitiveness is the ability of a power and its institutions to influence stable growth economy. Researchers have found a link between the level of competitiveness and the well-being of citizens. The higher the first indicator, the more positive the second.

Index goal

The idea of ​​the forum is that the state needs to use the results of the study. This assessment makes it clear that the country should strive to eliminate the difficulties on the way to improve economic development and competitiveness. The index is a tool in the study of problematic sectors of economic policy and the development of a strategy to improve the political model.

Influence

Representatives of the WEF argue that in order to determine competitiveness, attention must be paid to numerous and diverse factors. Obviously, the impact on the economy can be negative for a number of reasons: this includes the ineffective regulation of the country's budget, high inflation rates.

In turn, there are those factors that positively affect the economy: ensuring the protection of intellectual property rights, a progressive judicial system, balanced political decisions.

Not only institutional factors can affect the financial system. There is also training and retraining of working personnel, the possibility of round-the-clock education and technological development. All factors can affect a particular economic system in different ways.

Constituent elements

It is known that in the analysis the WEF Global Competitiveness Index is combined with the Business Competitiveness Index. The decisive word is still behind the first indicator. By the way, this index was created by the scientist Xavier Sala y Martin, who teaches at He's the one who developed this assessment for the World Economic Community.

So, to determine the score, you need to refer to 113 variables. Some of these factors are formed thanks to global surveys, some consist of statistical data and research results. All 113 variables are divided into 12 categories. They were chosen through empirical and theoretical research.

But it is worth noting that none of these variables can independently give the state. In addition, all factors are interconnected. The productivity of the market for goods and services depends on the qualifications and professionalism of the workforce.

To control macroeconomic stability, it is necessary to effectively manage the country's budget, curb corruption and ensure transparency economic system. Entrepreneurs can organize new technologies only if the profit received exceeds the investment costs.

Thus, it is clear that a country's Global Competitiveness Index is led by those countries that can implement comprehensive policies by looking at a range of factors and the interrelationships between them.

What is the difference?

WEF researchers primarily take into account the progress of the economy of a particular power. At the same time, they trace its development at different stages. The interpretation of each variable for the state is related to its initial circumstances or to structural and organizational parameters. These data allow us to position the state among others through the prism of development.

Scientists work daily on the calculation methodology so that the global competitiveness index remains an objective and adequate mechanism for monitoring the level of the economy with constant changes in the global environment.

Methodology

So, as mentioned earlier, the study analyzes 113 indicators. They are grouped into 12 categories. Only 34 variables are calculated from publicly available statistics. This includes external debt, standard of living and other indicators. The rest of the factors come from a global survey of more than 14,000 CEOs.

According to this principle, states are distributed according to the stages of economic development. In this case, only GDP per capita is taken into account. Although there are exceptions, for example, for Russia, in this case, the second criterion is used - the degree of dependence of the country's development on the main factors. Such a privilege applies when the state has a dependence on mineral resources.

stages

As mentioned earlier, first you need to determine the stage of development of the power. There are 5 of them in total: 37 economies of countries belong to factor development. These include most African states, as well as India, the Kyrgyz Republic, Vietnam, etc.

The second group is a transitional stage from factor development to effective development. There are 16 states in this category: Azerbaijan, Iran, Moldova, Mongolia, etc. The third group includes the second stage of development - the effective one. There are 30 economies here: Ukraine, China, Serbia, South Africa, Bulgaria, Armenia, etc.

The fourth group is also considered a transitional stage, but already from effective to innovative. There are 24 economies in this category: Russia, Brazil, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Uruguay, Poland, UAE, etc. Last group is the third stage of development. 37 countries are classified as innovative economies: most of them are European, as well as the USA, Australia with New Zealand, South Korea, Japan, etc.

2016 study

In 2016, the World Economic Forum was already held. The study this time covered the analysis of 138 countries. competitiveness 2016-2017 again put the states in their places. Now every government has a result to rely on.

Switzerland remains the leader of this race. She has been number one for eight years in a row. After it, Singapore and the United States remained the same. Their 2016 Global Competitiveness Index is 5.8 and 5.7. These states are leaders in supplying the whole world with innovative products and services.

The top ten have not changed since last year. After Switzerland, Singapore and the USA, the Netherlands and Germany got the 5.6 index, 5.5 - Sweden, Great Britain, Japan and Hong Kong, 5.4 - Finland and Norway.

Loss of positions

This year's survey showed that there are also negative trends. The 2016 Global Competitiveness Index also depends on the impact of other organizations on states. It's about about the EU. The efforts of this institution maintain a gap between the European powers. The rating shows that the countries of Northern and Western Europe lead the economic "hit parade". But the southern part is suffering from financial decline, which affects the performance of the Index. Spain took 32nd place, Italy - 44th, Greece for Last year moved down five positions and occupies the 86th line.

The Middle East and North Africa are still going downhill. Qatar last year ranked 14th, now it is in 18th place. Saudi Arabia has also lost four positions and is in 29th place. Again this year, Iraq did not receive the Global Competitiveness Index. This indicates that the situation in the country is very deplorable.

Central and South Africa also graze the rear ones. The leaders remain: Mauritius on the 45th line, South Africa - on the 47th and Rwanda - on the 52nd. All other states that are in this territory are far behind. Each of them needs external assistance that would enhance economic development and raise the index of global competitiveness.

CIS countries

The Russian Federation, unlike many other powers, managed to climb two steps and took 43rd place. The country's economy is currently in recession, but the positive result was due to the efficiency of the domestic market and the reduction of bureaucratic obstacles. There is also progress in education. The country is being dragged down by high inflation and low capital inflows.

Kazakhstan ranked 53rd in the global competitiveness index. Compared to last year, this is a very poor result, as the country has gone down as much as 11 positions. According to five criteria out of 12, Kazakhstan has improved markedly, the remaining 7, on the contrary, show regression. There are factors that positively influenced the Global Competitiveness Index 2016. Kazakhstan has made progress in innovative technologies, entrepreneurship, secondary and higher education.

Ukraine showed a negative result. She fell from 79th place to 85th. The main problems of the country are considered political instability, corruption, inflation, state bureaucracy and high taxes.

Azerbaijan improved its last year result by three steps and took 37th place. Now this state is the leader among the CIS countries. Tajikistan showed a positive result, moving from 80th place to 77th. Armenia has also improved by three positions and is in 79th place. But Moldova (100) and Kyrgyzstan (111) significantly worsened their testimony. In the first case, the country went down by as much as 16 positions, and in the second - by 9.

National competitiveness is a general indicator of a country's position in the international division of labor and international economic relations. National competitiveness is understood as the ability of a country and its institutions to ensure stable rates of economic growth in medium term. Countries with high levels of national competitiveness tend to provide more high level welfare of its citizens. The competitiveness of national economies is determined by numerous and very diverse factors.

The ranking of countries in terms of economic competitiveness is compiled on the basis of the Global Competitiveness Index (GCI), which is calculated according to the methodology of the World Economic Forum (WEF), based on a combination of publicly available statistical data and the results of a global survey of company leaders. The QI was first developed by WEF experts in 2004, and since 2006 it has been considered as the main indicator for comparative assessment competitiveness various countries. The Global Competitiveness Index is made up of variables that characterize in detail the competitiveness of the world's countries at different stages of economic development.

The GCI calculation methodology is constantly being improved; IGC 2013 2014 was compiled from 113 variables, which were combined into 12 blocks of benchmarks (factors) that determine national competitiveness;

• 1) the quality of institutions;
• 2) infrastructure;
• 3) macroeconomic stability;
• 4) health and primary education;
• 5) higher education and professional training;
• 6) efficiency of the market for goods and services;
• 7) efficiency of the labor market;
• 8) development financial market;
• 9) the level of technological development;
• 10) the size of the domestic market;
• 11) competitiveness of companies;
• 12) innovative potential.

At the same time, none of the blocks of benchmarks can individually ensure the competitiveness of the economy. As Professor Javier Sala y Martin, author and developer of the IGC, points out, they

effective only in combination with other variables. Thus, for example, the effect of increasing spending on education may be reduced due to the inefficiency of the labor market. The significance of individual factors for the growth of a country's competitiveness is associated with starting conditions or with institutional and structural characteristics that allow positioning national economies in relation to other countries through the prism of development. According to the WEF findings, the most competitive economies are those countries that are able to pursue a comprehensive policy and take into account the full range of factors and interrelations between them.

When calculating the ICC, countries differ in terms of stages of economic development : extensive growth , effective growth , innovative growth , which correspond to the ratio of blocks of key indicators or factors (Table 1.2). There are three groups of blocks of benchmarks that ensure the competitiveness of countries at various stages of development.

A country at any stage of economic development usually has all key factors, but their role and meaning are different; its competitiveness is determined by key indicators corresponding to its stage of development. Basic factors ensure the competitiveness of the country at the stage of extensive growth; efficiency factors - at the stage of effective growth; innovative factors - at the stage of innovative growth.

Table 1.2

Stages of economic development of countries key indicators competitiveness

The Global Competitiveness Index (GCI) is calculated as an arithmetic average based on an assessment of all factors from 1 to 7. According to the GCI 2013-2014, Switzerland, Singapore, Finland, Germany, USA, Sweden are in the top ten with indicators from 5.37 to 5.67 , Hong Kong,

Netherlands, Japan and UK. China ranked 29th in the IQ 2013-2014 ranking, Brazil - 56th, India - 60th.

Russia has risen in the ranking from 67th to 64th place. The WEF report notes that, compared with the previous year, Russia's position has improved largely due to macroeconomic factors. Russia moved up in this section of the ranking from 22nd to 19th place also thanks to a low level of public debt and budget surplus. The authors of the report also attributed the high prevalence of higher education, the state of infrastructure and a significant volume of the domestic market to the strengths of the Russian economy.

However, the low efficiency of state institutions (118th place), insufficient innovation potential (78th place), inefficient antimonopoly policy (116th place), underdevelopment of the financial market (121st place), low level of competition in markets for goods and services (135th), lack of investor confidence in the financial system (132nd).

The key problems for the economic development of Russia, business representatives call corruption, inefficiency of the state apparatus, high tax rates. All these factors, according to the authors of the report, contribute to the inefficient distribution of the country's resources and hinder the growth of its competitiveness.

Competitiveness rankings are based on a combination of publicly available statistics and the results of the CEO Survey, an extensive annual survey conducted by the World Economic Forum in conjunction with a network of partner organizations - leading research institutions and companies in the countries analyzed in the report. This year, more than 14,000 business leaders were surveyed in 144 states. The questionnaire is designed to cover a wide range of factors affecting the business climate. The report also includes detailed overview strengths and weaknesses of countries' competitiveness, which makes it possible to identify priority areas for formulating economic development policies and key reforms.

The WEF report presents two indexes on the basis of which country rankings are compiled: (Global Competitiveness Index, GCI) and Business Competitiveness Index (BCI). The main tool for a generalized assessment of the competitiveness of countries is Global Competitiveness Index(GCI), created for the World Economic Forum by Columbia University professor Xavier Sala-i-Martin (Columbia University) and first published in 2004. The GCI is made up of 12 components of competitiveness, which characterize in detail the competitiveness of the world's countries at different levels of economic development. These terms are: “Quality of institutions”, “Infrastructure”, “Macroeconomic stability”, “Health and primary education”, “Higher education and training”, “Efficiency of the market for goods and services”, “Efficiency of the labor market”, “Development of the financial market", "Technological level", "Size of the domestic market", "Competitiveness of companies" and "Innovation potential".

For each of the 144 economies covered by the study, the report contains detailed descriptions of the country and the national economy, with detailed summaries of the overall position in the rankings and the most outstanding competitive advantages and disadvantages that were identified based on the analysis used to calculate the index. A detailed statistical section is also included with ranking tables for 110 different indicators. This year the report includes thematic sections devoted to a more detailed study of a number of countries and regions.

The Global Competitiveness Index 2012-2013 is topped by Switzerland, which has been ranked number one for the fourth year in a row. The second and third places are occupied by Singapore and Finland, respectively. The countries of Northern and Western Europe continue to dominate the top ten of the list: the top lines are occupied by Sweden (4th place), the Netherlands (5th), Germany (6th).

The United States is ranked 7th. Despite an improvement in overall competitiveness, the US continues to fall in the rankings for the fourth year in a row, moving two spots to seventh. In addition to growing macroeconomic vulnerability, some aspects of the country's institutional environment continue to cause growing concern among business leaders, in particular, the level of public trust in politicians remains low, and the effectiveness of the state is also not high enough. The positive factor is that the country is still a global innovation center and its markets operate efficiently.

Next come the UK (8th place) and Hong Kong (9th). Japan, which rounds out the top ten most competitive economies, remains Asia's second-ranked economy, despite a notable decline in rankings in recent years.

The study shows that the competitiveness gap among European countries continues to widen. While the countries of Northern and Western Europe have strengthened their traditionally strong competitive positions since the economic crisis of 2008-2009, the countries of Southern Europe, such as Portugal (49th), Spain (36th), Italy (42nd) and especially Greece (ranked 96th) continue to suffer from competitive disadvantages such as macroeconomic volatility, poor access to finance, inflexible labor markets and a lack of innovation.

In the Middle East and North Africa region, Qatar (11th) and Saudi Arabia (18th) are in the lead. United United Arab Emirates(24th) improved their performance, while Kuwait (37th) fell slightly in the rankings.

Among Sub-Saharan Africa, South Africa (52) and Mauritius (54) appear in the top half of the rankings. However, most countries in the region require further external assistance to enhance their economic development and competitiveness.

Among countries Latin America Chile holds the lead (33rd), and the competitiveness of a number of economies is also improving, including Panama (40th), Brazil (48th), Mexico (53rd) and Peru (61st).

Major developing market economies BRIC countries show different indicators. Despite a slight decrease in the ranking by three positions, China (29th) continues to lead the group. Brazil (48th) has moved up in the rankings this year, while India (59th) and Russia (67th) have slightly lowered their positions.

Russia this year lost one position in the ranking and dropped to 67th place. Russia's neighbors on the list this time were Iran (66th) and Sri Lanka (68th). The report notes that, compared to the previous year, Russia's relatively stable position has deteriorated in terms of the quality of institutions, competition in the markets for goods and services, antitrust policy and the development of the financial market. Improvement occurred only in two terms: the macroeconomic environment and infrastructure. As in the past year, corruption and the inefficiency of the state apparatus, as well as high tax rates, are cited by business representatives as key problems for economic development in Russia. However, this year the importance of problems with the availability of funding and with the qualifications of the workforce has grown significantly. All these problems prevent Russia from taking advantage of its competitive advantages, such as a relatively low level of public debt and budget deficit, a large domestic market, a relatively high innovative potential and quality higher education.

Among countries former USSR Russia is ahead of Estonia (34th place), Lithuania (45th), Azerbaijan (46th), Kazakhstan (51st), which improved its position by 21 points at once, and Latvia (55th). Other states of the post-Soviet space are located below: Ukraine (73rd), Georgia (77th), Armenia (82nd), Moldova (87th), Tajikistan (100th) and Kyrgyzstan (127th). Belarus is not included in the WEF ranking.

Klaus Schwab, Founder and CEO of the World Economic Forum comments: future prosperity. We urge governments to act decisively and take long-term action to improve competitiveness and put the world back on a sustainable path.”

Xavier Sala-i-Martin, professor of economics at Columbia University in the United States, co-author of the report, comments: Global Competitiveness Index gives an idea of ​​the long-term trends that shape the competitiveness of national economies. From this point of view, the report can give useful information about the key directions in which countries must act in order to optimize the productivity that determines their economic future.