Economic Power

Future of Economic Power: 2026 National Capability Ratings

🇸🇬 Singapore, 🇨🇭 Switzerland and the 🇺🇸 United States each hold Tier 1 positions across all three Economic Capability domains, tying for first place.
🇨🇳 China, 🇯🇵 Japan and 🇸🇪 Sweden tie for fourth, each combining a Frontier in Production & Innovation with Tier 2 ratings in Financial Strength and Investment & Trade. 🇰🇷 South Korea follows at seventh with Frontier-level Production & Innovation but drops to Tier 3 in Financial Strength.
🇪🇪 Estonia is the standout performer at eighth, reaching Tier 1 in Investment & Trade despite a Tier 5 Financial Strength rating. 🇮🇱 Israel claims a Frontier in Production & Innovation but falls to Tier 4 in Financial Strength.
🇩🇪 Germany sits at eleventh with Tier 2 in Financial Strength and Production & Innovation but only Tier 3 in Investment & Trade. 🇫🇷 France (fourteenth) and the 🇬🇧 United Kingdom (seventeenth) each retain Tier 2 Financial Strength but slip to Tier 3 or below in their remaining economic domains.

Figure 1. Top 20 Nations: 2026 Economic Capability Ratings

Economic Capability		Hard Capability			Soft Capability			Econ Capability			Frontiers
#	Nation	CT	SI	NS	HC	II	GI	FS	PI	TI	T1	T2	T3
1	🇸🇬 Singapore	T3	T1	T3	T1	T1	T1	T1	T1	T1	7	-	2
1	🇨🇭 Switzerland	T2	T2	T6	T1	T1	T1	T1	T1	T1	6	2	-
1	🇺🇸 United States	T1	T1	T1	T3	T1	T7	T1	T1	T1	7	-	1
4	🇨🇳 China	T1	T1	T2	T3	T1	T7	T2	T1	T2	4	3	1
4	🇯🇵 Japan	T2	T1	T3	T4	T1	T3	T2	T1	T2	3	3	2
4	🇸🇪 Sweden	T3	T2	T5	T2	T1	T1	T2	T1	T2	3	4	1
7	🇰🇷 South Korea	T2	T1	T3	T2	T1	T2	T3	T1	T2	3	4	2
8	🇪🇪 Estonia	T5	T3	T5	T1	T1	T1	T5	T2	T1	4	1	1
9	🇮🇱 Israel	T2	T1	T2	T3	T2	T3	T4	T1	T3	2	3	3
10	🇳🇱 Netherlands	T1	T1	T4	T3	T1	T2	T2	T2	T2	3	4	1
11	🇩🇰 Denmark	T4	T2	T6	T2	T2	T1	T3	T2	T2	1	5	1
11	🇩🇪 Germany	T1	T1	T4	T4	T1	T4	T2	T2	T3	3	2	1
11	🇦🇪 UAE	T4	T1	T4	T4	T2	T2	T2	T3	T2	1	4	1
14	🇫🇷 France	T1	T1	T2	T4	T1	T5	T2	T3	T3	3	2	2
15	🇫🇮 Finland	T4	T2	T6	T2	T2	T1	T4	T2	T3	1	4	1
15	🇳🇴 Norway	T3	T1	T5	T2	T1	T1	T2	T4	T3	3	2	2
17	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	T2	T3	T3	T4	T1	T4	T2	T4	T4	1	2	2
18	🇹🇼 Taiwan	T4	T4	T5	T4	T4	T4	T5	T3	T3	-	-	2
19	🇦🇺 Australia	T3	T3	T4	T4	T2	T3	T3	T4	T4	-	1	4
19	🇧🇪 Belgium	T3	T3	T5	T5	T4	T5	T4	T3	T4	-	-	3
19	🇨🇦 Canada	T3	T3	T4	T3	T2	T3	T4	T3	T4	-	-	5

Regional Ratings

East Asia and the Pacific

East Asia and the Pacific is the engine room of global economic power, home to the world's largest trading networks, most advanced manufacturing ecosystems and some of its most dynamic financial centres. The region's economic trajectory over the past half-century is without parallel: Japan's post-war industrial miracle, the rise of the Asian Tigers, China's transformation into the world's second-largest economy and the emergence of Southeast Asian manufacturing hubs have collectively reshaped the global economic order. Singapore's role as a trade and financial nexus, South Korea's technology-driven export economy and Australia's resource wealth add further depth to a region whose economic influence now rivals or exceeds that of any other.

The economic capability rankings confirm this standing. Singapore shares the global top spot (G#1) with T1 across all three economic domains, while China and Japan tie at G#4, each achieving T1 in production and innovation. South Korea follows at G#7, and Taiwan and Australia round out a formidable top six that places the region among the strongest in aggregate economic capability. The gap between this leading cluster and the region's Pacific Island and less developed Southeast Asian economies is, however, among the widest of any region: from Singapore's seven T1 frontier counts to North Korea's position at the very bottom of the global table (G#216), the range spans the entire spectrum of economic development.

Figure X. East Asia and the Pacific: 2026 Economic Capability Ratings

Economic Capability			Hard Capability			Soft Capability			Econ Capability			Frontiers
R#	G#	Nation	CT	SI	NS	HC	II	GI	FS	PI	TI	T1	T2	T3
1	1	🇸🇬 Singapore	T3	T1	T3	T1	T1	T1	T1	T1	T1	7	-	2
2	4	🇨🇳 China	T1	T1	T2	T3	T1	T7	T2	T1	T2	4	3	1
2	4	🇯🇵 Japan	T2	T1	T3	T4	T1	T3	T2	T1	T2	3	3	2
4	7	🇰🇷 South Korea	T2	T1	T3	T2	T1	T2	T3	T1	T2	3	4	2
5	18	🇹🇼 Taiwan	T4	T4	T5	T4	T4	T4	T5	T3	T3	-	-	2
6	19	🇦🇺 Australia	T3	T3	T4	T4	T2	T3	T3	T4	T4	-	1	4
7	26	🇳🇿 New Zealand	T5	T4	T6	T5	T3	T2	T4	T5	T5	-	1	1
8	27	🇭🇰 Hong Kong	T5	T2	T8	T4	T4	T5	T4	T6	T5	-	1	-
9	36	🇲🇾 Malaysia	T7	T4	T7	T7	T6	T9	T5	T6	T7	-	-	-
10	39	🇹🇻 Tuvalu	T7	T10	T6	T13	T11	T9	T6	T6	T8	-	-	-
11	48	🇹🇭 Thailand	T7	T5	T8	T8	T8	T12	T6	T10	T8	-	-	-
12	50	🇮🇩 Indonesia	T7	T7	T7	T11	T6	T10	T6	T11	T8	-	-	-
13	69	🇻🇳 Vietnam	T8	T6	T7	T9	T7	T10	T7	T11	T8	-	-	-
14	87	🇦🇸 American Samoa	T10	T11	T7	T18	T15	T14	T11	T8	T12	-	-	-
15	90	🇲🇵 N. Mariana Islands	T6	T7	T5	T10	T9	T9	T9	T9	T11	-	-	-
16	94	🇵🇫 French Polynesia	T15	T15	T10	T18	T14	T11	T9	T10	T12	-	-	-
16	94	🇳🇷 Nauru	T13	T14	T8	T19	T14	T17	T9	T10	T12	-	-	-
18	101	🇵🇭 Philippines	T11	T9	T8	T12	T6	T13	T9	T15	T12	-	-	-
19	103	🇧🇳 Brunei	T13	T5	T10	T8	T9	T8	T9	T17	T15	-	-	-
20	112	🇲🇴 Macao	T10	T6	T7	T10	T11	T10	T11	T11	T14	-	-	-
21	113	🇼🇸 Samoa	T20	T15	T9	T20	T13	T15	T11	T12	T12	-	-	-
22	138	🇲🇳 Mongolia	T14	T11	T10	T17	T14	T15	T12	T17	T15	-	-	-
23	142	🇻🇺 Vanuatu	T21	T19	T11	T22	T16	T19	T13	T14	T14	-	-	-
24	148	🇳🇨 New Caledonia	T12	T7	T8	T12	T14	T12	T13	T16	T15	-	-	-
25	152	🇬🇺 Guam	T7	T6	T5	T11	T9	T9	T13	T17	T16	-	-	-
26	159	🇹🇴 Tonga	T18	T17	T11	T22	T14	T19	T14	T15	T15	-	-	-
27	161	🇰🇭 Cambodia	T16	T13	T11	T21	T15	T19	T14	T21	T15	-	-	-
28	182	🇫🇯 Fiji	T17	T13	T11	T21	T13	T17	T15	T21	T18	-	-	-
29	186	🇲🇭 Marshall Islands	T22	T22	T12	T25	T18	T23	T15	T21	T20	-	-	-
30	192	🇹🇱 Timor-Leste	T21	T17	T12	T24	T18	T20	T16	T21	T18	-	-	-
31	197	🇰🇮 Kiribati	T22	T21	T12	T25	T18	T23	T18	T18	T18	-	-	-
32	199	🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea	T18	T13	T12	T24	T19	T21	T18	T23	T19	-	-	-
33	200	🇱🇦 Laos	T17	T13	T13	T24	T18	T21	T19	T25	T18	-	-	-
34	205	🇵🇼 Palau	T22	T21	T12	T23	T17	T20	T19	T21	T19	-	-	-
35	210	🇲🇲 Myanmar	T15	T14	T8	T26	T20	T24	T20	T24	T21	-	-	-
36	212	🇫🇲 Micronesia	T23	T17	T14	T28	T20	T25	T20	T26	T23	-	-	-
37	214	🇸🇧 Solomon Islands	T15	T16	T14	T26	T18	T21	T21	T28	T24	-	-	-
38	216	🇰🇵 North Korea	T11	T12	T7	T27	T19	T27	T22	T27	T25	-	-	-

Europe and Central Asia

Europe and Central Asia has been the seat of global economic power for centuries, with its financial institutions, industrial traditions and trade networks shaping the modern world economy. From the mercantile empires of the early modern period to the post-war economic integration that produced the European Union, the region's economic infrastructure is both deep and mature. Western Europe remains home to some of the world's most productive economies, strongest currencies and most sophisticated capital markets, while the post-Soviet states of Central Asia and Eastern Europe represent a wide spectrum of economic development, from EU-integrated success stories to resource-dependent economies still navigating the transition from central planning.

The rankings reflect both the region's depth and its breadth. Switzerland shares the global top spot (G#1) with T1 across all three economic domains, and the Nordic states, Germany, France and the Netherlands cluster tightly behind. The region places more nations in the global top 20 for economic capability than any other, a testament to the density of its advanced economies. Yet the internal spread is vast: Estonia at R#3 sits alongside Tajikistan at R#58, and Russia's placement at R#45 (G#93) underscores how sanctions, structural imbalances and institutional weakness can erode the economic standing of even a large and resource-rich state. The Central Asian republics and several Western Balkan states occupy the lower tiers, confirming that proximity to Europe's economic core does not guarantee participation in its prosperity.

Figure X. Europe and Central Asia: 2026 Economic Capability Ratings

Economic Capability			Hard Capability			Soft Capability			Econ Capability			Frontiers
R#	G#	Nation	CT	SI	NS	HC	II	GI	FS	PI	TI	T1	T2	T3
1	1	🇨🇭 Switzerland	T2	T2	T6	T1	T1	T1	T1	T1	T1	6	2	-
2	4	🇸🇪 Sweden	T3	T2	T5	T2	T1	T1	T2	T1	T2	3	4	1
3	8	🇪🇪 Estonia	T5	T3	T5	T1	T1	T1	T5	T2	T1	4	1	1
4	10	🇳🇱 Netherlands	T1	T1	T4	T3	T1	T2	T2	T2	T2	3	4	1
5	11	🇩🇰 Denmark	T4	T2	T6	T2	T2	T1	T3	T2	T2	1	5	1
5	11	🇩🇪 Germany	T1	T1	T4	T4	T1	T4	T2	T2	T3	3	2	1
7	14	🇫🇷 France	T1	T1	T2	T4	T1	T5	T2	T3	T3	3	2	2
8	15	🇫🇮 Finland	T4	T2	T6	T2	T2	T1	T4	T2	T3	1	4	1
8	15	🇳🇴 Norway	T3	T1	T5	T2	T1	T1	T2	T4	T3	3	2	2
10	17	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	T2	T3	T3	T4	T1	T4	T2	T4	T4	1	2	2
11	19	🇧🇪 Belgium	T3	T3	T5	T5	T4	T5	T4	T3	T4	-	-	3
12	22	🇮🇪 Ireland	T4	T3	T9	T5	T2	T4	T5	T3	T4	-	1	2
13	23	🇪🇸 Spain	T4	T3	T4	T6	T3	T6	T3	T5	T5	-	-	3
14	25	🇦🇹 Austria	T3	T3	T7	T3	T3	T4	T5	T4	T4	-	-	4
15	29	🇱🇺 Luxembourg	T5	T3	T7	T3	T3	T3	T5	T5	T5	-	-	4
16	30	🇨🇿 Czechia	T5	T4	T6	T6	T4	T7	T6	T5	T5	-	-	-
16	30	🇵🇱 Poland	T5	T4	T4	T7	T4	T8	T5	T5	T6	-	-	-
16	30	🇸🇮 Slovenia	T6	T4	T7	T6	T5	T6	T6	T5	T5	-	-	-
19	33	🇮🇹 Italy	T3	T4	T3	T7	T4	T7	T6	T6	T5	-	-	2
19	33	🇵🇹 Portugal	T5	T4	T6	T6	T3	T5	T6	T5	T6	-	-	1
21	36	🇱🇹 Lithuania	T6	T4	T6	T6	T3	T5	T6	T5	T7	-	-	1
22	40	🇭🇺 Hungary	T6	T4	T7	T8	T5	T10	T6	T7	T7	-	-	-
23	41	🇮🇸 Iceland	T6	T3	T9	T4	T3	T4	T8	T6	T7	-	-	2
23	41	🇱🇻 Latvia	T8	T5	T7	T7	T5	T6	T7	T6	T8	-	-	-
23	41	🇲🇪 Montenegro	T13	T11	T8	T10	T12	T10	T8	T6	T7	-	-	-
26	47	🇷🇴 Romania	T6	T5	T5	T9	T6	T9	T6	T8	T8	-	-	-
27	51	🇦🇲 Armenia	T9	T10	T8	T12	T8	T14	T12	T6	T12	-	-	-
28	55	🇸🇰 Slovakia	T7	T4	T8	T7	T6	T9	T7	T8	T7	-	-	-
29	58	🇬🇷 Greece	T6	T5	T5	T9	T5	T8	T7	T9	T7	-	-	-
29	58	🇭🇷 Croatia	T7	T5	T7	T8	T5	T8	T7	T9	T7	-	-	-
31	62	🇮🇲 Isle of Man	T9	T9	T6	T12	T10	T11	T7	T8	T9	-	-	-
31	62	🇱🇮 Liechtenstein	T7	T4	T10	T4	T5	T5	T8	T7	T9	-	-	-
31	62	🇹🇷 Türkiye	T5	T5	T5	T9	T6	T11	T7	T8	T9	-	-	-
34	66	🇬🇬 Channel Islands	T10	T7	T11	T9	T7	T7	T7	T8	T10	-	-	-
35	70	🇦🇿 Azerbaijan	T11	T5	T6	T11	T8	T11	T7	T13	T8	-	-	-
36	73	🇰🇿 Kazakhstan	T9	T6	T7	T10	T8	T11	T7	T12	T10	-	-	-
37	77	🇲🇹 Malta	T10	T5	T10	T7	T5	T9	T8	T8	T8	-	-	-
38	78	🇬🇪 Georgia	T12	T8	T6	T11	T10	T10	T8	T8	T9	-	-	-
39	80	🇧🇬 Bulgaria	T8	T6	T6	T10	T9	T11	T8	T10	T9	-	-	-
40	82	🇫🇴 Faroe Islands	T6	T7	T5	T9	T9	T11	T8	T9	T11	-	-	-
41	84	🇲🇨 Monaco	T8	T5	T8	T6	T6	T7	T8	T10	T12	-	-	-
41	84	🇷🇸 Serbia	T9	T7	T7	T9	T8	T14	T8	T12	T10	-	-	-
43	90	🇨🇾 Cyprus	T9	T6	T9	T7	T6	T8	T9	T11	T9	-	-	-
44	92	🇲🇩 Moldova	T14	T12	T6	T13	T11	T13	T9	T9	T12	-	-	-
45	93	🇷🇺 Russia	T4	T5	T3	T9	T6	T11	T10	T9	T11	-	-	1
46	107	🇺🇿 Uzbekistan	T11	T8	T8	T15	T12	T14	T10	T14	T12	-	-	-
47	115	🇲🇰 North Macedonia	T12	T11	T9	T15	T11	T12	T11	T14	T12	-	-	-
48	121	🇸🇲 San Marino	T11	T6	T8	T10	T8	T9	T11	T14	T14	-	-	-
49	124	🇦🇩 Andorra	T12	T7	T10	T8	T7	T9	T11	T17	T16	-	-	-
50	128	🇺🇦 Ukraine	T7	T7	T5	T13	T4	T13	T12	T14	T13	-	-	-
51	134	🇦🇱 Albania	T13	T12	T10	T18	T13	T15	T12	T18	T14	-	-	-
52	152	🇬🇱 Greenland	T12	T13	T11	T20	T16	T15	T13	T17	T16	-	-	-
53	171	🇧🇾 Belarus	T9	T8	T6	T11	T14	T19	T16	T15	T15	-	-	-
54	178	🇧🇦 Bosnia & Herzegovina	T13	T12	T11	T19	T15	T18	T15	T20	T16	-	-	-
55	180	🇽🇰 Kosovo	T12	T15	T13	T22	T14	T16	T15	T22	T17	-	-	-
56	189	🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan	T15	T14	T10	T22	T15	T18	T16	T22	T17	-	-	-
57	201	🇹🇲 Turkmenistan	T15	T9	T10	T25	T16	T23	T18	T23	T20	-	-	-
58	206	🇹🇯 Tajikistan	T16	T15	T10	T25	T17	T22	T19	T25	T21	-	-	-

Latin America and Caribbean

Latin America and the Caribbean has long occupied an ambiguous position in the global economic order: rich in natural resources, culturally vibrant and home to several large and diversified economies, yet persistently constrained by structural vulnerabilities in financial systems, trade integration and productive capacity. The region's economic history is marked by cycles of commodity-driven growth and debt-fuelled contraction, with periodic reform efforts producing uneven results across a diverse set of nations ranging from continental economies like Brazil and Mexico to small Caribbean island states. In recent decades, some states have pursued trade liberalisation and institutional reform with notable success, while others have struggled with macroeconomic instability and capital flight.

The economic capability data place the region firmly in the global middle tiers. Chile leads at G#33, the highest-ranked Latin American state, but no nation in the region achieves T1 in any economic domain and no frontier counts appear anywhere in the table. Mexico (G#45) and Turks and Caicos (G#54) follow, with Costa Rica and Puerto Rico tied at G#55. Argentina's placement at R#23 (G#125) is notable for a nation of its size and resource endowment, reflecting the toll of chronic macroeconomic instability on economic capability. Cuba (G#194) and Venezuela (G#203) sit near the bottom, illustrating how political isolation and mismanagement can devastate economic fundamentals even in resource-rich states.

Figure X. Latin America and Caribbean: 2026 Economic Capability Ratings

Economic Capability			Hard Capability			Soft Capability			Econ Capability			Frontiers
R#	G#	Nation	CT	SI	NS	HC	II	GI	FS	PI	TI	T1	T2	T3
1	33	🇨🇱 Chile	T6	T4	T6	T7	T5	T7	T5	T6	T6	-	-	-
2	45	🇲🇽 Mexico	T7	T5	T8	T10	T4	T9	T6	T9	T7	-	-	-
3	54	🇹🇨 Turks & Caicos	T7	T8	T5	T11	T7	T12	T7	T7	T7	-	-	-
4	55	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	T10	T6	T8	T7	T6	T8	T7	T7	T8	-	-	-
4	55	🇵🇷 Puerto Rico	T8	T7	T7	T10	T6	T8	T7	T7	T8	-	-	-
6	62	🇨🇴 Colombia	T10	T7	T7	T10	T7	T11	T7	T8	T9	-	-	-
7	66	🇻🇨 St Vincent & Grenadines	T16	T16	T8	T18	T13	T11	T8	T7	T10	-	-	-
7	66	🇻🇮 US Virgin Islands	T13	T14	T8	T14	T13	T10	T8	T7	T10	-	-	-
9	72	🇧🇷 Brazil	T6	T6	T6	T10	T8	T11	T7	T9	T10	-	-	-
10	80	🇱🇨 St Lucia	T18	T15	T9	T17	T13	T16	T10	T8	T9	-	-	-
11	83	🇨🇼 Curaçao	T14	T12	T9	T14	T11	T14	T8	T10	T11	-	-	-
12	86	🇵🇪 Peru	T11	T7	T6	T13	T10	T12	T8	T14	T10	-	-	-
13	89	🇺🇾 Uruguay	T9	T5	T9	T6	T4	T6	T9	T10	T9	-	-	-
14	97	🇵🇦 Panama	T10	T6	T8	T13	T8	T10	T10	T14	T9	-	-	-
15	98	🇲🇫 Saint Martin	T6	T7	T6	T12	T8	T13	T9	T11	T11	-	-	-
16	104	🇬🇩 Grenada	T10	T10	T7	T14	T11	T16	T10	T10	T12	-	-	-
17	105	🇹🇹 Trinidad & Tobago	T12	T6	T8	T12	T12	T12	T11	T10	T11	-	-	-
18	111	🇰🇾 Cayman Islands	T11	T7	T11	T10	T8	T8	T10	T18	T14	-	-	-
19	114	🇸🇷 Suriname	T15	T14	T8	T18	T14	T15	T11	T12	T13	-	-	-
20	118	🇯🇲 Jamaica	T13	T8	T11	T14	T5	T11	T11	T16	T13	-	-	-
20	118	🇪🇨 Ecuador	T12	T10	T8	T15	T12	T15	T11	T16	T13	-	-	-
22	122	🇩🇲 Dominica	T20	T16	T12	T21	T15	T17	T11	T18	T14	-	-	-
23	125	🇦🇷 Argentina	T7	T8	T7	T11	T8	T11	T12	T13	T12	-	-	-
24	130	🇩🇴 Dominican Rep.	T12	T8	T9	T16	T8	T14	T12	T16	T13	-	-	-
25	137	🇧🇸 Bahamas	T14	T13	T10	T19	T11	T11	T12	T16	T15	-	-	-
26	138	🇧🇧 Barbados	T14	T7	T11	T9	T7	T10	T12	T17	T15	-	-	-
27	147	🇭🇹 Haiti	T21	T19	T11	T24	T16	T21	T15	T13	T15	-	-	-
28	148	🇰🇳 St Kitts & Nevis	T12	T12	T7	T17	T14	T18	T13	T16	T15	-	-	-
29	156	🇦🇼 Aruba	T15	T8	T12	T11	T8	T10	T13	T21	T17	-	-	-
30	157	🇳🇮 Nicaragua	T6	T9	T7	T13	T11	T16	T14	T14	T14	-	-	-
31	162	🇬🇾 Guyana	T16	T12	T11	T21	T15	T17	T14	T22	T15	-	-	-
32	172	🇸🇻 El Salvador	T15	T13	T9	T20	T13	T18	T15	T18	T15	-	-	-
33	175	🇭🇳 Honduras	T15	T12	T10	T20	T15	T20	T16	T18	T15	-	-	-
34	176	🇬🇹 Guatemala	T14	T12	T10	T21	T14	T18	T16	T19	T15	-	-	-
35	179	🇵🇾 Paraguay	T15	T11	T11	T20	T16	T17	T15	T21	T17	-	-	-
36	181	🇦🇬 Antigua & Barbuda	T19	T16	T11	T22	T14	T19	T15	T20	T18	-	-	-
37	182	🇸🇽 Sint Maarten	T17	T15	T10	T21	T16	T18	T15	T21	T18	-	-	-
38	184	🇧🇴 Bolivia	T15	T11	T11	T20	T15	T17	T15	T21	T19	-	-	-
39	194	🇨🇺 Cuba	T6	T8	T8	T9	T13	T17	T19	T22	T17	-	-	-
40	198	🇧🇿 Belize	T19	T15	T10	T23	T15	T19	T18	T22	T19	-	-	-
41	203	🇻🇪 Venezuela	T14	T12	T8	T25	T15	T24	T18	T23	T21	-	-	-

Middle East and North Africa

The Middle East and North Africa occupies a distinctive position in global economic power, shaped overwhelmingly by hydrocarbon wealth and the strategic choices governments have made in deploying it. The Gulf states have leveraged oil and gas revenues to build modern financial centres, world-class infrastructure and sovereign wealth funds of enormous scale, while pursuing varying degrees of economic diversification. North Africa's larger economies have followed a different path, combining resource extraction with manufacturing and agriculture but achieving more modest results. The region's economic story is thus one of sharp internal contrasts, with extraordinary per-capita wealth in the Gulf sitting alongside deep underdevelopment in conflict-affected states and lower-income North African economies.

The rankings capture this duality clearly. Israel leads the region at G#9 with T1 in production and innovation, reflecting its technology-driven economy, while the UAE follows at G#11 with the broadest economic capability profile in the Gulf. Saudi Arabia (G#24) and Qatar (G#28) perform strongly in financial strength and trade, though their overall profiles reveal ongoing gaps in productive capacity beyond hydrocarbons. From Jordan (G#117) downwards, the table tells a harder story: Tunisia, Algeria and Iran all sit in the lower-middle tiers, while Iraq (G#190), Libya (G#204), Lebanon (G#208) and Syria (G#213) demonstrate the catastrophic economic toll of prolonged conflict, institutional collapse and international isolation.

Figure X. Middle East and North Africa: 2026 Economic Capability Ratings

Economic Capability			Hard Capability			Soft Capability			Econ Capability			Frontiers
R#	G#	Nation	CT	SI	NS	HC	II	GI	FS	PI	TI	T1	T2	T3
1	9	🇮🇱 Israel	T2	T1	T2	T3	T2	T3	T4	T1	T3	2	3	3
2	11	🇦🇪 UAE	T4	T1	T4	T4	T2	T2	T2	T3	T2	1	4	1
3	24	🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia	T5	T4	T5	T8	T5	T9	T3	T6	T7	-	-	1
4	28	🇶🇦 Qatar	T5	T2	T6	T4	T3	T4	T4	T7	T6	-	1	1
5	38	🇲🇦 Morocco	T10	T5	T6	T10	T4	T9	T6	T7	T6	-	-	-
6	45	🇧🇭 Bahrain	T9	T4	T7	T7	T9	T9	T6	T7	T9	-	-	-
7	53	🇰🇼 Kuwait	T9	T3	T8	T9	T8	T11	T6	T20	T15	-	-	1
8	74	🇴🇲 Oman	T9	T4	T7	T9	T7	T9	T7	T13	T10	-	-	-
9	75	🇪🇬 Egypt	T9	T6	T6	T12	T6	T13	T7	T13	T11	-	-	-
10	100	🇵🇸 Palestine	T16	T16	T10	T17	T14	T17	T9	T12	T12	-	-	-
11	117	🇯🇴 Jordan	T11	T6	T8	T10	T7	T11	T11	T15	T13	-	-	-
12	141	🇹🇳 Tunisia	T10	T9	T9	T12	T11	T17	T13	T14	T13	-	-	-
13	145	🇩🇿 Algeria	T10	T7	T6	T18	T12	T16	T14	T19	T13	-	-	-
14	148	🇮🇷 Iran	T6	T8	T4	T15	T11	T19	T16	T13	T15	-	-	-
15	169	🇩🇯 Djibouti	T13	T14	T12	T25	T18	T21	T20	T23	T14	-	-	-
16	190	🇮🇶 Iraq	T14	T8	T8	T21	T15	T18	T16	T24	T17	-	-	-
17	204	🇱🇾 Libya	T17	T12	T9	T26	T21	T26	T18	T26	T21	-	-	-
18	208	🇱🇧 Lebanon	T14	T14	T10	T21	T13	T21	T20	T22	T20	-	-	-
19	211	🇾🇪 Yemen	T21	T18	T10	T31	T22	T27	T20	T25	T23	-	-	-
20	213	🇸🇾 Syria	T18	T16	T8	T27	T19	T25	T21	T25	T22	-	-	-

North America

North America is home to the world's largest and most technologically advanced economy, and the region's economic influence is felt in virtually every global market, institution and standard. The United States has dominated international trade, finance and innovation for over a century, serving as the anchor of the post-war Bretton Woods system and remaining the issuer of the world's primary reserve currency. Canada complements this with a stable, resource-rich open economy deeply integrated into North American supply chains. The region's combined economic weight, institutional credibility and innovative capacity give it a position in global economic power that no other three-nation grouping can match.

The data confirm this dominance. The United States shares the global top spot (G#1) with T1 across all three economic domains and seven T1 frontier counts overall, placing it alongside only Singapore and Switzerland at the apex of global economic capability. Canada sits at G#19 with consistent T3-level scores across the economic domains, a solid upper-tier performance that nonetheless leaves a considerable gap from its southern neighbour. Bermuda rounds out the region at G#94, reflecting the constraints of a microeconomy despite its well-known financial services sector. The gap between the United States and Bermuda is among the widest intra-regional spans in any three-nation grouping, though it is the strength at the top rather than weakness at the bottom that defines this region's economic profile.

Figure X. North America: 2026 Economic Capability Ratings

Economic Capability			Hard Capability			Soft Capability			Econ Capability			Frontiers
R#	G#	Nation	CT	SI	NS	HC	II	GI	FS	PI	TI	T1	T2	T3
1	1	🇺🇸 United States	T1	T1	T1	T3	T1	T7	T1	T1	T1	7	-	1
2	19	🇨🇦 Canada	T3	T3	T5	T4	T3	T3	T4	T3	T4	-	-	5
3	94	🇧🇲 Bermuda	T8	T9	T7	T10	T7	T10	T9	T10	T12	-	-	-

South Asia

South Asia is a region of vast economic potential whose realisation remains a generational project. India, the region's dominant economy, has emerged as one of the world's fastest-growing large markets, with strengths in information technology services, pharmaceuticals and an expanding manufacturing base, yet its per-capita economic indicators and institutional depth lag well behind the global frontier. The region's other economies range from Bangladesh's garment-driven export model and Sri Lanka's services-oriented economy to Nepal's remittance dependence and Afghanistan's near-total economic collapse. Collectively, South Asia accounts for a substantial share of the world's population but a disproportionately small share of its productive output, trade flows and financial assets.

The rankings place every South Asian nation in the lower half of the global table, with India leading at G#41 but achieving no T1 in any economic domain. Bangladesh (G#118) and Pakistan (G#131) follow, both constrained by weak production and innovation scores that limit their economic capability despite significant scale. Bhutan's relatively balanced mid-tier profile at G#136 stands out for a microstate, while Sri Lanka's placement at G#158 reflects the lingering effects of its recent economic crisis. Afghanistan sits near the very bottom of the global table at G#215, with T21–T27 scores across the economic domains. No frontier counts appear anywhere in the region, confirming that South Asia's economic power remains defined more by demographic weight and growth trajectories than by current capability at the frontier.

Figure X. East Asia and the Pacific: 2026 Economic Capability Ratings

Economic Capability			Hard Capability			Soft Capability			Econ Capability			Frontiers
R#	G#	Nation	CT	SI	NS	HC	II	GI	FS	PI	TI	T1	T2	T3
1	41	🇮🇳 India	T5	T5	T4	T9	T5	T11	T6	T7	T8	-	-	-
2	118	🇧🇩 Bangladesh	T11	T10	T8	T13	T9	T15	T11	T16	T13	-	-	-
3	131	🇵🇰 Pakistan	T11	T10	T5	T20	T13	T18	T12	T18	T13	-	-	-
4	136	🇧🇹 Bhutan	T18	T12	T10	T20	T9	T14	T12	T15	T15	-	-	-
5	154	🇳🇵 Nepal	T15	T13	T9	T18	T14	T17	T13	T17	T17	-	-	-
6	158	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	T11	T11	T9	T14	T12	T16	T14	T17	T14	-	-	-
7	185	🇲🇻 Maldives	T16	T14	T11	T15	T15	T18	T15	T22	T19	-	-	-
8	215	🇦🇫 Afghanistan	T21	T19	T14	T30	T22	T26	T21	T27	T25	-	-	-

Sub Saharan Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa is the world's most economically underdeveloped region in aggregate terms, yet it is also the site of some of the most rapid growth trajectories and untapped economic potential on the planet. The continent's economic history has been shaped by the legacies of colonial extraction, post-independence structural adjustment and a commodity dependence that continues to define the fiscal fortunes of many states. In recent decades, a cohort of reforming economies has begun to build more diversified productive bases, improve financial infrastructure and attract foreign investment, though progress remains uneven and vulnerable to external shocks, governance failures and conflict.

The economic capability rankings place Mauritius at the top of the region (G#48), drawing on its established financial services sector and trade openness. Central African Republic's appearance at R#2 (G#52) is driven by a relatively strong financial strength score that contrasts sharply with its weakness across nearly all other domains, a profile that warrants careful interpretation. South Africa (G#71) and Botswana (G#76) occupy more conventionally strong positions, with the broadest economic capability profiles in the region. Nigeria and Ghana tie at G#107, reflecting the constraints that still limit West Africa's two largest anglophone economies. No Sub-Saharan African state achieves T1 in any economic domain, and no frontier counts appear anywhere in the table. The region's median economic tier scores are the lowest of any World Bank grouping, underscoring the scale of investment and institutional development required to close the gap with the global frontier.

Figure X. Sub Saharan Africa: 2026 Economic Capability Ratings

Economic Capability			Hard Capability			Soft Capability			Econ Capability			Frontiers
R#	G#	Nation	CT	SI	NS	HC	II	GI	FS	PI	TI	T1	T2	T3
1	48	🇲🇺 Mauritius	T13	T6	T10	T9	T6	T8	T6	T10	T8	-	-	-
2	52	🇨🇫 Central African Rep.	T23	T20	T10	T25	T16	T12	T6	T14	T12	-	-	-
3	58	🇨🇬 Rep. of Congo	T18	T12	T8	T20	T14	T11	T7	T7	T9	-	-	-
4	61	🇪🇷 Eritrea	T20	T16	T8	T21	T15	T14	T7	T7	T10	-	-	-
5	71	🇿🇦 South Africa	T6	T6	T6	T9	T7	T9	T7	T9	T9	-	-	-
6	76	🇧🇼 Botswana	T14	T7	T9	T11	T6	T8	T7	T14	T13	-	-	-
7	78	🇰🇲 Comoros	T17	T19	T8	T22	T13	T13	T9	T8	T8	-	-	-
8	88	🇬🇳 Guinea	T19	T15	T9	T20	T15	T13	T12	T8	T13	-	-	-
9	99	🇰🇪 Kenya	T12	T7	T8	T11	T7	T12	T9	T13	T11	-	-	-
10	101	🇨🇮 Côte d'Ivoire	T14	T7	T9	T17	T11	T14	T9	T15	T12	-	-	-
11	106	🇷🇼 Rwanda	T14	T7	T8	T10	T6	T7	T10	T13	T12	-	-	-
12	107	🇳🇬 Nigeria	T12	T10	T6	T14	T7	T13	T10	T14	T12	-	-	-
12	107	🇬🇭 Ghana	T13	T9	T8	T14	T8	T10	T10	T14	T12	-	-	-
14	110	🇸🇳 Senegal	T13	T11	T8	T16	T8	T13	T10	T16	T13	-	-	-
15	116	🇲🇷 Mauritania	T13	T12	T8	T22	T14	T16	T11	T14	T13	-	-	-
16	122	🇿🇲 Zambia	T15	T9	T12	T20	T15	T16	T11	T18	T14	-	-	-
17	125	🇳🇪 Niger	T20	T18	T10	T23	T17	T20	T12	T12	T13	-	-	-
18	127	🇸🇱 Sierra Leone	T19	T16	T9	T24	T16	T19	T12	T13	T13	-	-	-
19	128	🇱🇸 Lesotho	T19	T16	T9	T21	T15	T18	T12	T14	T13	-	-	-
20	132	🇲🇬 Madagascar	T17	T15	T9	T21	T15	T18	T12	T15	T14	-	-	-
20	132	🇳🇦 Namibia	T13	T10	T9	T17	T14	T11	T12	T15	T14	-	-	-
22	134	🇺🇬 Uganda	T15	T13	T9	T17	T13	T16	T12	T18	T14	-	-	-
23	140	🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau	T22	T20	T10	T29	T19	T21	T12	T18	T17	-	-	-
24	143	🇬🇲 Gambia	T19	T18	T10	T21	T16	T17	T13	T15	T14	-	-	-
25	144	🇨🇲 Cameroon	T15	T13	T9	T20	T15	T18	T13	T17	T14	-	-	-
26	145	🇹🇿 Tanzania	T14	T11	T10	T19	T12	T17	T13	T19	T14	-	-	-
27	151	🇦🇴 Angola	T14	T11	T9	T23	T14	T18	T13	T20	T15	-	-	-
28	155	🇬🇦 Gabon	T15	T12	T10	T22	T17	T19	T13	T18	T17	-	-	-
29	160	🇹🇬 Togo	T17	T14	T10	T24	T17	T19	T14	T19	T15	-	-	-
30	163	🇨🇻 Cabo Verde	T17	T15	T11	T18	T7	T10	T14	T18	T16	-	-	-
31	164	🇪🇹 Ethiopia	T12	T12	T9	T19	T13	T17	T16	T19	T14	-	-	-
32	165	🇧🇯 Benin	T18	T14	T12	T23	T16	T19	T14	T21	T16	-	-	-
33	166	🇸🇨 Seychelles	T14	T13	T10	T11	T13	T12	T14	T18	T17	-	-	-
33	166	🇸🇴 Somalia	T21	T17	T10	T27	T16	T22	T14	T17	T18	-	-	-
35	168	🇲🇱 Mali	T19	T16	T11	T25	T18	T22	T14	T22	T18	-	-	-
36	169	🇧🇫 Burkina Faso	T19	T17	T12	T25	T19	T24	T14	T23	T20	-	-	-
37	173	🇲🇿 Mozambique	T16	T12	T11	T24	T16	T18	T15	T22	T15	-	-	-
38	174	🇸🇸 South Sudan	T24	T20	T9	T30	T20	T22	T16	T17	T15	-	-	-
39	176	🇨🇩 DR Congo	T18	T15	T9	T24	T17	T20	T15	T19	T16	-	-	-
40	187	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	T15	T14	T11	T22	T15	T20	T16	T21	T16	-	-	-
41	188	🇸🇿 Eswatini	T16	T15	T11	T22	T17	T20	T17	T21	T16	-	-	-
42	191	🇲🇼 Malawi	T17	T15	T10	T23	T17	T19	T16	T20	T18	-	-	-
43	193	🇹🇩 Chad	T22	T19	T8	T24	T18	T22	T19	T19	T16	-	-	-
44	195	🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea	T19	T13	T11	T25	T18	T22	T17	T23	T19	-	-	-
45	196	🇱🇷 Liberia	T20	T17	T11	T26	T18	T21	T17	T24	T19	-	-	-
46	201	🇸🇩 Sudan	T17	T15	T9	T26	T19	T24	T18	T23	T20	-	-	-
47	207	🇸🇹 São Tomé & Príncipe	T22	T20	T13	T27	T19	T22	T19	T25	T22	-	-	-
48	209	🇧🇮 Burundi	T21	T19	T13	T27	T21	T24	T20	T24	T20	-	-	-