Resource Intensity Index

Resource Intensity & Resource Efficiency

Resource management is the ability to manage available resource (natural capital, human capital, financial capital) efficiently – regardless of whether the capital is scarce or abundant. Whether a country does or does not possess resources within its boundaries (natural and other resources), efficiency in using resources – whether domestic or imported – is a cost factor, affecting the competitiveness and thus wealth of nations. Over-exploitation of existing natural resources also affects the natural capital of the country, i.e. the ability of a country to support its population and economy with the required resources into the future.

The main implications of a high or low score in resource efficiency/intensity is related to stability and sustained economic growth. Should global prices for raw materials and energy rise significantly in the future (as trends and the majority of available research suggests), the countries in the lower ranks will face substantial higher costs and challenges to maintain their growth compared to countries with higher efficiency and intensity scores.

Resource Efficiciency & Intensity: State of the World

Resource Intensity Scores

Global lowest

Global average

Global best

Ideal World

The global average in resource intensity is 47, while the highest achieved is 64. Even the best performing countries are a long way from being sustainable competitive, i.e. achieving net-zero in a circular economy.

Resource Intensity Trends

Positive Trends

No Visible Trends

Negative Trends

A majority of 61% of all trends in resouce intensity and eficiency are developping positively, mostly thanks to positive developments in energy efficiency. While further improvments can be expected, we are still far from a truly circular economy.

Key Take-Aways: Resource Intensity Index 2024

The Resource Intensity & Efficiency Index is based on both per-capita measurement (intensity) and measurement against total economic output, per-e.g. water usage per unit of GDP (economic efficiency; resource usage per unit of value generated). The countries with low resource consumption – per capita and per GNI/GDP – generally achieve a higher score in terms of intensity, while industrial economies with modern efficient production processes general achieve a higher score in terms of efficiency. As a result, the Resource Intensity /Efficiency sees both developed and lesser developed nation on the top:

When considering the Intensity Index (per capita resource consumption), less developed countries tend to perform the best.
In contrast, the Resource Efficiency Index (resource consumption per unit of economic value generated) is dominated by highly developed economies transitioning towards service-based economic structures.
The combined Resource Efficiency/Intensity Index is led by the United Kingdom, followed by Malawi, Sweden, Denmark, and Kenya.
Several African countries, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, and Benin, also rank among the top 20, highlighting their efficiency in resource use.
Among major economies, Germany is ranked 36th, the United States 93rd, and Japan 109th.
China ranks 108th, primarily due to its reliance on heavy industries and extensive construction activities, coupled with relatively low resource efficiency. However, while resource intensity in China is increasing, there are indications of improvements in overall efficiency.

The Resource Intensity World Map:

Downloads

GSCI 2024

Download the report: [download id="11718"](PDF) Download the data: [download id="11713"](XLSX)

Download the report: The Global Sustainable Competitiveness Index 2024 (PDF) Download the data: GSCI Scores 2024 (XLSX)

Sustainable & Competitive

Achieving Sustainable Competitiveness: policies for more sustainable AND more prosperous societies: Sustainable. Competitive.

Resource Intensity Ranking 2024

United Kingdom	1	59.65
Malawi	2	58.86
Sweden	3	57.51
Denmark	4	56.93
Kenya	5	56.85
Ethiopia	6	56.76
Costa Rica	7	56.54
Djibouti	8	56.53
Congo DR	9	55.85
Australia	10	55.72
Switzerland	11	55.66
Yemen	12	55.63
Uganda	13	55.47
Luxembourg	14	55.42
Haiti	15	55.20
Venezuela	16	55.12
Honduras	17	54.87
Finland	18	54.69
Ireland	19	54.49
France	20	54.47
El Salvador	21	54.33
Portugal	22	54.18
Benin	23	53.93
Ukraine	24	53.80
Norway	25	53.74
Panama	26	53.71
Canada	27	53.66
Rwanda	28	53.58
Greece	29	53.26
Guatemala	30	53.22
Sierra Leone	31	53.03
Papua New Guinea	32	52.08
Cameroon	33	52.07
Lithuania	34	51.77
Austria	35	51.74
Germany	36	51.71
Madagascar	37	51.70
Burkina Faso	38	51.55
Somalia	39	51.53
Angola	40	51.50
Spain	41	51.42
Estonia	42	51.38
Netherlands	43	51.22
Zimbabwe	44	51.19
Bangladesh	45	50.85
Tanzania	46	50.68
Palestine, State of	47	50.59
Brazil	48	50.52
Côte d'Ivoire	49	50.47
Nicaragua	50	50.46
Jordan	51	50.43
Nigeria	52	50.36
Gabon	53	50.36
Sri Lanka	54	49.93
Namibia	55	49.77
Fiji	56	49.75
Poland	57	49.74
Solomon Islands	58	49.66
Paraguay	59	49.62
Italy	60	49.60
Belgium	61	49.51
Liberia	62	49.48
Argentina	63	49.43
Ghana	64	49.37

Cuba	65	49.15
Romania	66	49.10
Latvia	67	48.94
Bulgaria	68	48.87
Uruguay	69	48.83
Vanuatu	70	48.62
Zambia	71	48.62
Cyprus	72	48.60
Sao Tome and Principe	73	48.52
Chile	74	48.46
Central African Republic	75	48.44
Niger	76	48.34
Jamaica	77	48.24
Bolivia	78	48.21
Burundi	79	48.15
Equatorial Guinea	80	48.11
Morocco	81	47.94
Gambia	82	47.42
Dominican Republic	83	47.36
Guinea	84	47.27
Timor-Leste	85	47.26
Afghanistan	86	47.25
New Zealand	87	47.25
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	88	47.17
Slovakia	89	47.17
Philippines	90	47.17
Croatia	91	46.93
Togo	92	46.93
United States of America	93	46.70
Israel	94	46.56
Nepal	95	46.45
Senegal	96	46.35
India	97	46.22
Hungary	98	46.18
Malta	99	46.03
Colombia	100	45.84
Guinea-Bissau	101	45.80
Czechia	102	45.67
Ecuador	103	45.66
Slovenia	104	45.65
Peru	105	45.64
Congo	106	45.43
Kiribati	107	45.20
China	108	45.04
Japan	109	44.95
Liechtenstein	110	44.63
Mozambique	111	44.56
South Africa	112	44.55
Myanmar	113	44.48
Comoros	114	44.30
Cambodia	115	44.06
Viet Nam	116	43.98
Maldives	117	43.92
Lesotho	118	43.88
Syrian Arab Republic	119	43.84
Albania	120	43.64
Egypt	121	43.48
Grenada	122	43.37
Dominica	123	43.25
Chad	124	43.04
Turkey	125	42.70
Barbados	126	42.54
Botswana	127	42.54
Trinidad and Tobago	128	42.53

Bhutan	129	42.31
Tunisia	130	42.19
Belize	131	42.01
Mauritania	132	41.92
Malaysia	133	41.82
Moldova	134	41.63
Andorra	135	41.63
Eswatini	136	41.61
Mali	137	41.55
Mexico	138	41.42
Thailand	139	40.96
Antigua and Barbuda	140	40.50
Tajikistan	141	40.49
Brunei Darussalam	142	40.37
Eritrea	143	40.05
South Sudan	144	39.54
Cabo Verde	145	39.53
Samoa	146	39.36
Guyana	147	39.31
Korea	148	39.19
Saint Lucia	149	39.17
Armenia	150	39.17
Indonesia	151	39.00
Bahamas	152	38.95
Sudan	153	38.55
Kyrgyzstan	154	38.54
Russian Federation	155	38.42
Kazakhstan	156	38.42
Bosnia and Herzegovina	157	38.36
Montenegro	158	38.28
Pakistan	159	37.93
Singapore	160	37.88
Tonga	161	37.86
Tuvalu	162	37.83
Seychelles	163	37.80
North Macedonia	164	37.53
Mongolia	165	37.47
Suriname	166	36.97
Belarus	167	36.67
Iceland	168	36.46
Mauritius	169	36.32
Georgia	170	36.27
Qatar	171	36.16
Turkmenistan	172	35.42
Saudi Arabia	173	35.42
Serbia	174	35.09
United Arab Emirates	175	34.99
Kuwait	176	34.67
Saint Kitts and Nevis	177	34.66
Lebanon	178	33.09
Azerbaijan	179	33.06
Iraq	180	32.86
Micronesia	181	32.75
Bahrain	182	32.66
Uzbekistan	183	32.14
Oman	184	31.70
Algeria	185	31.41
Iran	186	30.89
Lao	187	30.45
Marshall Islands	188	29.89
Palau	189	29.86
Kosovo	190	29.71
Libya	191	25.58