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Global Sustainable Competitiveness Index

The Global Sustainable Competitiveness Index

What is not sustainable is not competitive; what is not competitive is not sustainable.

 

First published in 2012, the Global Sustainable Competitiveness Index (GSCI) measures the competitiveness and sustainability of countries. It is the most comprehensive measurment of country performance available.

The GSCI is based on more than 200 quantitative indicators, derived from international organisations (World Bank, the IMF, various UN agencies. ). All indicators are evaluated as-is, and analysed for trends. The outcome is a comprehensive view of strengths and weaknesses for each country, as well as indication of the country’s future direction and potential.

Measuring Competitiveness beyond GDP

 

The GDP (“Gross National Product”  – the most widely used metric to measure country “success” – has serious limitations, as it only counts what is exchanged in the market against money, but excludes everything else: the environment, health, education, security, governance, quality of living, just to name a few

The GSCI serves as comprehensive alternative to the GDP, to assess country-specific and issue-specific risks for operators and investors, and to verify progress for countries. The GSCI is now officially used by 4 governments to benchmark their progress on the path to sustainability & competitiveness.

The Sustainable Competitiveness Model:

The indicators of the GSCI are grouped into 6 sub-indexes: Natural Capital, Resource Efficiency & Intensity, Social Cohesion, Intellectual Capital, Economic Sustainability, and Governance Efficiency. Taken together, these pillars define a national performance and future outlook:

 

GSCI Sustainable Competitiveness Model
  • Intellectual Capital & Inovation: the capability to generate wealth and jobs through innovation and value-added industries in the globalised markets
  • Economic Sustainability: Economic Sustainability & Competitiveness reflects the ability to generate wealth through sustainable economic development
  • Governance Efficiency: Results of core state areas and investments – infrastructure, market and employment structure, the provision of a framework for sustained and sustainable wealth generation
  • Natural Capital: the given natural environment, including the availability of resources, and the level of the depletion of those resources.
  • Resource Efficiency & Intensity: the efficiency of using available resources as a measurement of operational competitiveness in a resource-constraint World.
  • Social Capital: health, security, freedom, equality and life satisfaction within a country.

Sustainable competitiveness is the ability to generate and sustain inclusive wealth without diminishing the future capability of sustaining or increasing current wealth levels.

 

State of The World 2023:

Sustainable Competitiveness World Map 2023

The Global Sustainability World Map 2023

Global Sustainability Scores

The average sustainable competitiveness score is 43.4,  less than 50% of the possible best score. The higest score is 59.8, achieved by Sweden: Even the leading nations are far from being truly sustainable & competitive.

Global Average
Global Best
Ideal World

Global Development Trends

A somewhat alarming 38% of all indicators are deteriorating, while 52%  show positive developments. We are going forward and backwards at the same time.

Improving Development
Deteriorating Development
Neutral

Highlights and key take-aways from the GSCI 2023

  • Scandinavia continues to top the Sustainable Competitiveness Index: of the top 6 spots, 5 are Scandinavian. Sweden keeps topping the Index;
  • The top 20 are dominated by Northern European countries;
  • Only one country in the Top 20 is not European: Japan on 12 (South Korea 21);
  • For the first time, China (ranked 30) overtakes the US (32) – China is strong in Intellectual Capital, but low on Natural Capita & Resource Efficiency;
  • The USA is ranked 32, performing particularly low in resource efficiency and social capital – potentially further undermining the global status of the US in the future;
  • Germany ranks 15, The UK 16, and France 18;
  • Brazil ranks 65, India 121, and Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, ranks156;
  • Some of the least developed nations have a considerable higher GSCI ranking than their GDP would suggest (e.g. Colombia, Peu, Nepal, Bhutan, Bolivia, …)
  • Asian nations (South Korea, Japan, Singapore, and China) lead the Intellectual Capital Index – the basis of innovation. However, achieving sustained prosperity is potentially compromised by Natural Capital constraints and increasing resource consumption.
  • The Social Capital Index ranking is headed by Northern European (Scandinavian) countries, the result of economic growth combined with a commonly accepted social consensus
  • Focus in 2023: the deployment of renewable technology has reached a critical mass and cost parity. Fossil fuels are no longer competitive, and will drastically decline after 2030. The oil-exporting Gulf states need to replace a significant proportion of their income with alternatives. Are the Gulf countries ready for the energy transition, and how could they replace the fossil income? Read more here, or download the report How to replace fossil income in the Gulf countries.

Download the The Global Sustainable Competitiveness Index 2023 (PDF, 90 pages)

GSCI Report Downloads

Report & Data Download

Download the report: The Global Sustainable Competitiveness Report 2023 (PDF) Download the data: GSCI Scores 2023 (XLSX)

GSCI Credit Ratings

Country Credit Ratings based on the GSCI: ESG Sovereign Bonds

The Blueprint

Achieving Sustainable Competitiveness: Sustainable. Competitive.

Replacing Oil Income

Fossils are no longer competitive: How to replace fossil income in the Gulf countries

2023 Global Sustainability Rankings

RankCountryScore
1Sweden59.6
2Finland59.4
3Iceland59.2
4Switzerland59.1
5Norway57.7
6Denmark57.6
7Estonia56.7
8Austria56.2
9Latvia56.1
10Slovenia55.7
11Portugal55.5
12Japan55.3
13Ireland55.2
14Lithuania55.1
15Germany55.0
16United Kingdom54.8
17Czech Republic54.7
18France54.4
19Netherlands54.1
20Luxembourg53.6
21South Korea53.2
22Canada53.1
23Croatia52.9
24Italy52.3
25Australia52.3
26Slovakia51.9
27New Zealand51.9
28Belgium51.7
29Poland51.6
30China51.0
31Uruguay50.9
32USA50.9
33Spain50.8
34Albania49.8
35Malta49.6
36Singapore49.4
37Romania49.4
38Hungary49.4
39Costa Rica49.3
40Chile48.6
41Paraguay48.4
42Cyprus48.0
43Greece47.9
44Bulgaria47.9
45Israel47.7
46Argentina47.5
47Russia47.0
48Peru47.0
49Panama46.6
50Ecuador46.6
51Colombia46.6
52Bosnia and Herzegovina46.4
53Belarus46.3
54Vietnam46.3
55Serbia46.3
56Montenegro46.2
57Ukraine46.2
58Fiji46.1
59Solomon Islands45.9
60Moldova45.8
RankCountryScore
61Georgia45.5
62North Macedonia45.3
63Turkey45.3
64Timor-Leste44.8
65Brazil44.8
66Kazakhstan44.7
67Nepal44.4
68Bhutan44.3
69Armenia44.3
70Mongolia44.3
71Malaysia44.3
72St. Vincent and the Grenadines44.2
73Bolivia44.2
74Maldives44.1
75Tonga44.0
76Guyana43.8
77El Salvador43.8
78Kiribati43.7
79Kyrgistan43.6
80Sao Tome and Principe43.6
81Thailand43.6
82Vanuatu43.5
83Belize43.5
84United Arab Emirates43.2
85Seychelles42.8
86Indonesia42.8
87Grenada42.7
88Mauritius42.6
89Uzbekistan42.4
90Philippines42.3
91Rwanda42.2
92Sri Lanka42.0
93Dominican Republic41.9
94Democratic Republic of Congo41.9
95Gabon41.8
96Sierra Leone41.8
97Kenya41.7
98Nicaragua41.6
99Cuba41.6
100Malawi41.6
101Laos41.5
102Tanzania41.4
103Samoa41.3
104Burma41.2
105Mexico41.1
106Cote d'Ivoire41.1
107Papua New Guinea41.1
108Suriname41.1
109Senegal41.0
110Dominica41.0
111Cambodia41.0
112Honduras41.0
113Ghana40.9
114Namibia40.8
115Venezuela40.7
117Jamaica40.6
118Micronesia40.5
119Brunei40.4
120Morocco40.4
RankCountryScore
121India40.2
122Botswana40.2
123Cameroon40.0
124Jordan39.9
125Tajikistan39.9
126Saudi Arabia39.8
127Togo39.8
128Uganda39.7
129Qatar39.7
130Bangladesh39.6
131South Africa39.6
132Liberia39.4
133Gambia39.4
134Lesotho39.2
135Guatemala39.1
136Benin39.1
137Zambia39.1
138Azerbaijan39.1
139Ethiopia39.0
140Cape Verde38.9
141Trinidad and Tobago38.9
142West Bank and Gaza38.8
143Republic of Congo38.6
144Guinea38.6
145Turkmenistan38.5
146Angola38.3
147Madagascar38.3
148Oman38.2
149Zimbabwe38.2
151Tunisia37.9
152Algeria37.8
153Mozambique37.8
154St. Kitts and Nevis37.7
155Bahamas37.7
156Nigeria37.6
157Guinea-Bissau37.5
158Equatorial Guinea37.3
159Eswatini36.9
160Kuwait36.9
161Iran36.9
162Djibouti36.9
163Chad36.8
164Egypt36.7
165Bahrain36.6
166Burundi36.6
167Central African Republic36.5
168Mauritania36.4
169Burkina Faso36.3
171Niger35.7
172Comoros35.1
173Pakistan34.4
174Mali34.3
175Haiti34.3
176Yemen34.0
177Syria33.9
178Afghanistan33.8
179South Sudan33.1
180Sudan32.7

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