Menu
GSCI_logo_2

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 measurement of country performance available.

The GSCI is based on 216 quantitative indicators, derived from international organisations (World Bank, the IMF, various UN agencies. ). The focus on quantitative indicators ensures the evaluation of performance and not systems, and excludes potential subjectivity from the outset.

All indicators are evaluated as-is, and analysed for trends using, amongst others, deep-learning AI tools the clean data and analyse correlations to refine the evaluation process. 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 2024:

Sustainable Competitiveness World Map - GSCI 2024

The Global Sustainability World Map 2024

Global Sustainability Scores

The average sustainable competitiveness score is 43.4,  less than 50% of the possible best score. The highest score is 61.2, 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 2024

  • Scandinavia continues to make its mark on the Sustainable Competitiveness Index: of the top 5 spots, 4 are Scandinavian. Sweden keeps topping the Index, followed by Finland and Denmark;
  • Northern European countries dominate the top 20 rankings: only two countries in the Top 20 are not European: Japan on 10, and South Korea on 16;
  • Asian nations (South Korea, Japan, Singapore, and China) lead the Intellectual Capital Index – the basis of innovation.
  • The Social Capital Index ranking is headed by Northern European (Scandinavian) countries, the result of economic growth combined with a commonly accepted social consensus
  • China is ranked 28, excelling in Intellectual Capital but lags in Natural Capital and Resource Efficiency, albeit with encouraging signs of efficiency improvements;
  • The USA is ranked 35, performing comparatively poor in resource efficiency and social capital, reflecting a decline that could potentially undermine the global status of the US in the future;
  • Germany ranks 9, France 8, and the UK 14 while of the emerging economies Brazil ranks 52, India 90, and Nigeria – Africa’s most populous nation – 145;
  • Some of the least developed nations have a considerable higher GSCI ranking than their GDP would suggest (e.g. Vietnam, Colombia, Peru, Nepal, Bhutan, Bolivia, …);
  • Countries savaged by violent conflicts (Sudan, Yemen, Eritrea, Libya, Somalia, Afghanistan) are at the bottom of the GSCI;
  • The global gap to a perfect sustainable competitive World is 56.1. We are far from an inclusive and circular society that lives in equilibrium with the natural environment;
  • Tribalism, distracting cultural wars, struggles for perceived personal power, and armed conflict are complicating (if not preventing) the implementation of simple, efficient, profitable and readily available solution;
  • There is immense untapped potential. Policies geared to maximise efficiency improvements could lead to significant positive developments throughout all dimensions
 

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

GSCI Report Downloads

Report download

Download the report: [download id="11718"] (PDF)
Download the report: The Global Sustainable Competitiveness Index 2024 (PDF)

Data download

Download the data : [download id="11713"] (xlsx)
Download the data : GSCI Scores 2024 (xlsx)

GSCI Credit Ratings

Sovereign Bond Credit Ratings based on the GSCI: [download id="2650"]
Sovereign Bond Credit Ratings based on the GSCI: ESG Sovereign Bonds

The Blueprint

Achieving Sustainable Competitiveness: [download id="3496"]
Achieving Sustainable Competitiveness: Sustainable. Competitive.

Quick links

2024 Global Sustainability Index Rankings

Sweden161.22
Finland259.87
Denmark359.10
Switzerland458.68
Norway558.06
Austria657.96
France757.32
Estonia857.14
Germany956.88
Japan1056.69
Ireland1156.15
Luxembourg1256.01
Portugal1355.98
United Kingdom1455.61
Slovenia1555.32
Korea1655.25
Poland1755.07
Iceland1854.89
Netherlands1954.88
Belgium2054.68
Italy2154.13
Latvia2254.07
Canada2354.04
Lithuania2454.02
Australia2553.86
Czechia2653.36
New Zealand2753.36
China2852.85
Slovakia2952.40
Croatia3052.18
Spain3151.88
Uruguay3251.84
Bulgaria3351.73
Greece3451.46
United States of America3550.98
Liechtenstein3650.53
Singapore3750.36
Viet Nam3849.76
Hungary3949.60
Costa Rica4049.58
Romania4149.48
Israel4249.45
Albania4349.18
Cyprus4448.78
Malta4548.09
Argentina4647.99
Ukraine4747.73
Chile4847.70
Serbia4947.29
Peru5047.02
Turkey5146.84
Brazil5246.80
Russian Federation5346.69
Malaysia5446.64
Bosnia and Herzegovina5546.46
Bhutan5645.88
Moldova5745.82
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines5845.69
Georgia5945.53
Colombia6045.53
Thailand6145.45
Belarus6245.18
Andorra6345.11
Ecuador6445.02
Paraguay6544.82
Panama6644.70
Philippines6744.58
Montenegro6844.49
Kazakhstan6944.43
United Arab Emirates7044.09
Fiji7144.03
Indonesia7244.01
Barbados7344.00
Timor-Leste7443.91
Armenia7543.77
Bolivia7643.76
Cambodia7743.74
North Macedonia7843.50
Vanuatu7943.40
Mongolia8043.31
El Salvador8143.30
Mexico8243.17
Nepal8343.13
Kenya8443.07
Maldives8543.05
Seychelles8642.92
Sri Lanka8742.72
Guyana8842.48
Sierra Leone8942.42
India9042.42
Antigua and Barbuda9142.32
Mauritius9242.30
Sao Tome and Principe9342.13
Suriname9442.02
Dominican Republic9542.00
Venezuela9641.85
Kosovo9741.83
Namibia9841.80
Brunei Darussalam9941.78
Ghana10041.75
Belize10141.58
Cuba10241.44
Saudi Arabia10341.25
Morocco10441.23
Kyrgyzstan10541.20
Senegal10641.12
Guatemala10741.10
Solomon Islands10841.08
Kiribati10940.99
Honduras11040.99
Tuvalu11140.75
Saint Kitts and Nevis11240.73
Tonga11340.61
Tunisia11440.61
Congo DR11540.56
Bangladesh11640.55
Jamaica11740.48
Gabon11840.43
Uzbekistan11940.29
Botswana12040.21
Benin12140.02
Rwanda12239.98
Tanzania12339.96
Palau12439.91
Myanmar12539.90
Samoa12639.90
Grenada12739.88
Nicaragua12839.82
Trinidad and Tobago12939.75
Dominica13039.70
Côte d'Ivoire13139.49
Jordan13239.46
Togo13339.37
Liberia13439.36
Zambia13539.29
Cameroon13639.13
Ethiopia13739.12
Qatar13839.08
South Africa13939.01
Saint Lucia14038.92
Palestine, State of14138.67
Azerbaijan14238.58
Malawi14338.51
Congo14438.36
Nigeria14538.32
Marshall Islands14638.25
Micronesia14738.23
Cabo Verde14838.16
Algeria14938.05
Bahamas15038.01
Guinea15138.00
Oman15237.94
Lao15337.94
Gambia15437.90
Zimbabwe15537.86
Egypt15637.73
Madagascar15737.59
Uganda15837.46
Lesotho15937.46
Djibouti16037.28
Niger16137.27
Burkina Faso16236.94
Angola16336.83
Mozambique16436.70
Equatorial Guinea16536.70
Turkmenistan16636.66
Bahrain16736.52
Iran16836.23
Central African Republic16936.04
Guinea-Bissau17035.96
Papua New Guinea17135.86
Kuwait17235.80
Comoros17335.80
Tajikistan17435.76
Burundi17535.49
Haiti17635.02
Pakistan17734.37
Lebanon17834.20
Eswatini17934.08
Mali18033.25
Chad18133.14
Yemen18232.48
Syrian Arab Republic18332.30
Iraq18431.97
Sudan18531.92
Mauritania18631.89
Afghanistan18731.69
South Sudan18831.58
Libya18931.11
Eritrea19030.76
Somalia19130.75

What people say about the GSCI

“My sincere congratulations for pulling together, once again, critical information in such a compelling manner. It is to be hoped that policy makers everywhere will read the report.”

- George Kell -
Former Executive Director,
UN Global Compact