Capability Ratings

Future of Power. 2026 National Capability Ratings.

The New Architecture of Power: 200 Capabilities Ratings. 100+ Nations. Nine Strategic Domains.

🇸🇬 Singapore leads the 2026 National Capability Ratings, positioned on the global capability frontier (T1) across seven of nine domains. Critical Technology (T3) and National Security (T4) represent the two exceptions.
🇺🇸 United States secures second place, also achieving frontier status (T1) in seven domains. Human Capital sits at Tier 3, whilst Governance & Integrity represents a notable outlier at Tier 7.
🇨🇭 Switzerland claims third position with frontier capability (T1) across six domains. Production & Innovation and Financial Strength both sit at Tier 2, whilst National Security sits at Tier 5.

Power, prosperity and resilience represent the most consequential priorities for any nation. A nation's long-term comparative advantage rests on national capability: the generational systems, structures and frontier capabilities that enable it to endure, adapt and compound advantage over time.

GINC maps and measures national capability to identify the Capability Frontier; the nations leading in indigenous generational capability across all nine domains of the National Capability Framework. Built on individual assessments of over 200 discrete capabilities encompassing hard, soft and economic capability, our ratings prioritise unit-level capability quality rather than aggregate volume. Being on the Capability Frontier represents the future of power.

2026 National Capability Ratings

Figure 1 presents the top 20 nations in the 2026 National Capability Ratings, ranked lexicographically by the number of domains in which they achieve Capability Frontier status. This methodology privileges frontier leadership over average or weighted capability levels.

Figure 1. Top 20 Nations: 2026 National Capability Ratings

National 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
2	🇺🇸 United States	T1	T1	T1	T3	T1	T7	T1	T1	T1	7	-	1
3	🇨🇭 Switzerland	T2	T2	T6	T1	T1	T1	T1	T1	T1	6	2	-
4	🇨🇳 China	T1	T1	T2	T3	T1	T7	T2	T1	T2	4	3	1
5	🇪🇪 Estonia	T5	T3	T5	T1	T1	T1	T5	T2	T1	4	1	1
6	🇰🇷 South Korea	T2	T1	T3	T2	T1	T2	T3	T1	T2	3	4	2
7	🇳🇱 Netherlands	T1	T1	T4	T3	T1	T2	T2	T2	T2	3	4	1
8	🇸🇪 Sweden	T3	T2	T5	T2	T1	T1	T2	T1	T2	3	4	1
9	🇯🇵 Japan	T2	T1	T3	T4	T1	T3	T2	T1	T2	3	3	2
10	🇫🇷 France	T1	T1	T2	T4	T1	T5	T2	T3	T3	3	2	2
10	🇳🇴 Norway	T3	T1	T5	T2	T1	T1	T2	T4	T3	3	2	2
12	🇩🇪 Germany	T1	T1	T4	T4	T1	T4	T2	T2	T3	3	2	1
13	🇮🇱 Israel	T2	T1	T2	T3	T2	T3	T4	T1	T3	2	3	3
14	🇩🇰 Denmark	T4	T2	T6	T2	T2	T1	T3	T2	T2	1	5	1
15	🇦🇪 UAE	T4	T1	T4	T4	T2	T2	T2	T3	T2	1	4	1
16	🇫🇮 Finland	T4	T2	T6	T2	T2	T1	T4	T2	T3	1	4	1
17	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	T2	T3	T3	T4	T1	T4	T2	T4	T4	1	2	2
18	🇦🇺 Australia	T3	T3	T4	T4	T2	T3	T3	T4	T4	-	1	4
19	🇮🇪 Ireland	T4	T3	T9	T5	T2	T4	T5	T3	T4	-	1	2
20	🇶🇦 Qatar	T5	T2	T6	T4	T3	T4	T4	T7	T6	-	1	1

Source. GINC Data Laboratory, February 2026

Figure 2 identifies the frontier nations across each of the nine capability domains. The 2026 prototype assessment uses synthetic simulation to develop a capability rating for each nation across approximately 200 discrete capabilities. These capability ratings are aggregated into capability group scores. Using Pareto domination analysis, countries are then assigned to tiers within each domain, with Tier 1 (the frontier) identifying nations that are not dominated by any peer in that specific capability area.

Figure 2. Frontier Nations by Capability Domain

Capability Domain	ABBREV	Frontier Nations (T1)	T1	T2	T3
Hard Capability
Critical Technology	CT	🇨🇳🇫🇷🇩🇪🇳🇱🇺🇸	5	5	8
Strategic Infrastructure	SI	🇨🇳🇫🇷🇩🇪🇮🇱🇯🇵🇳🇱🇳🇴🇸🇬🇰🇷🇦🇪🇺🇸	11	6	11
National Security	NS	🇺🇸	1	3	6
Soft Capability
Human Capital	HC	🇪🇪🇸🇬🇨🇭	3	5	6
Information Influence	II	🇨🇳🇪🇪🇫🇷🇩🇪🇯🇵🇳🇱🇳🇴🇸🇬🇰🇷🇸🇪🇨🇭🇬🇧🇺🇸	13	6	9
Governance Integrity	GI	🇩🇰🇪🇪🇫🇮🇳🇴🇸🇬🇸🇪🇨🇭	7	4	5
Economic Capability
Financial Strength	FS	🇸🇬🇨🇭🇺🇸	3	9	5
Production & Innovation	PI	🇨🇳🇮🇱🇯🇵🇸🇬🇰🇷🇸🇪🇨🇭🇺🇸	8	5	6
Investment & Trade	IT	🇪🇪🇸🇬🇨🇭🇺🇸	4	7	6

Source. GINC Data Laboratory, February 2026

2026 Regional Ratings

GINC's National Capability Ratings assesses each nation across nine capability domains, grouping them into the seven World Bank regions that structure the analysis below. This regional lens reveals patterns that national rankings alone cannot: the clustering of frontier capability in Europe and East Asia, the sharp internal disparities within regions that span both advanced and developing economies, and the structural factors – institutional depth, technological capacity, geographic scale – that separate regions where multiple nations reach T1 frontier status from those where none yet do. Each regional profile opens with a brief assessment of the region's position in the global order before turning to what the GINC data show about its capability distribution, its leading nations and the gaps that remain.

East Asia and Pacific

East Asia and the Pacific is the world's most economically dynamic region, home to roughly a third of global GDP and the manufacturing base that underpins much of the international trading system. From post-war reconstruction in Japan and South Korea to China's rapid industrialisation and the city-state model pioneered by Singapore, the region has repeatedly redefined what rapid national development looks like. It is also the theatre in which great-power competition is most acute, with overlapping territorial claims, critical semiconductor supply chains and fast-growing defence budgets shaping the strategic landscape.

The GINC data confirm the region's weight in global capability rankings. Five of the 38 nations sit inside the global top 20, led by Singapore at rank 1 with seven T1 frontier positions – the highest of any nation worldwide. China (rank 4, four T1s), South Korea (rank 6, three T1s), Japan (rank 9, three T1s) and Australia (rank 18) round out a formidable upper tier. Yet the region is also one of the most unequal: the median global rank is 114 and the spread runs from 1st to 215th, reflecting a long tail of Pacific Island states and least-developed economies that face very different capability challenges.

Figure 3. East Asia and Pacific Ratings by Capability Domain

National 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
3	6	🇰🇷 South Korea	T2	T1	T3	T2	T1	T2	T3	T1	T2	3	4	2
4	9	🇯🇵 Japan	T2	T1	T3	T4	T1	T3	T2	T1	T2	3	3	2
5	18	🇦🇺 Australia	T3	T3	T4	T4	T2	T3	T3	T4	T4	-	1	4
6	21	🇳🇿 New Zealand	T5	T4	T6	T5	T3	T2	T4	T5	T5	-	1	1
7	22	🇭🇰 Hong Kong	T5	T2	T8	T4	T4	T5	T4	T6	T5	-	1	-
8	28	🇹🇼 Taiwan	T4	T4	T5	T4	T4	T4	T5	T3	T3	-	-	2
9	43	🇲🇾 Malaysia	T7	T4	T7	T7	T6	T9	T5	T6	T7	-	-	-
10	59	🇹🇭 Thailand	T7	T5	T8	T8	T8	T12	T6	T10	T8	-	-	-
11	62	🇲🇵 N. Mariana Islands	T6	T7	T5	T10	T9	T9	T9	T9	T11	-	-	-
12	63	🇬🇺 Guam	T7	T6	T5	T11	T9	T9	T13	T17	T16	-	-	-
13	65	🇧🇳 Brunei	T13	T5	T10	T8	T9	T8	T9	T17	T15	-	-	-
14	70	🇹🇻 Tuvalu	T7	T10	T6	T13	T11	T9	T6	T6	T8	-	-	-
15	74	🇮🇩 Indonesia	T7	T7	T7	T11	T6	T10	T6	T11	T8	-	-	-
16	79	🇻🇳 Vietnam	T8	T6	T7	T9	T7	T10	T7	T11	T8	-	-	-
17	88	🇲🇴 Macao	T10	T6	T7	T10	T11	T10	T11	T11	T14	-	-	-
18	96	🇵🇭 Philippines	T11	T9	T8	T12	T6	T13	T9	T15	T12	-	-	-
19	114	🇦🇸 American Samoa	T10	T11	T7	T18	T15	T14	T11	T8	T12	-	-	-
20	115	🇳🇨 New Caledonia	T12	T7	T8	T12	T14	T12	T13	T16	T15	-	-	-
21	119	🇰🇵 North Korea	T11	T12	T7	T27	T19	T27	T22	T27	T25	-	-	-
22	131	🇳🇷 Nauru	T13	T14	T8	T19	T14	T17	T9	T10	T12	-	-	-
23	137	🇲🇲 Myanmar	T15	T14	T8	T26	T20	T24	T20	T24	T21	-	-	-
24	141	🇵🇫 French Polynesia	T15	T15	T10	T18	T14	T11	T9	T10	T12	-	-	-
25	148	🇼🇸 Samoa	T20	T15	T9	T20	T13	T15	T11	T12	T12	-	-	-
26	166	🇲🇳 Mongolia	T14	T11	T10	T17	T14	T15	T12	T17	T15	-	-	-
27	190	🇫🇯 Fiji	T17	T13	T11	T21	T13	T17	T15	T21	T18	-	-	-
28	191	🇻🇺 Vanuatu	T21	T19	T11	T22	T16	T19	T13	T14	T14	-	-	-
29	192	🇰🇭 Cambodia	T16	T13	T11	T21	T15	T19	T14	T21	T15	-	-	-
30	195	🇹🇴 Tonga	T18	T17	T11	T22	T14	T19	T14	T15	T15	-	-	-
31	204	🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea	T18	T13	T12	T24	T19	T21	T18	T23	T19	-	-	-
32	207	🇲🇭 Marshall Islands	T22	T22	T12	T25	T18	T23	T15	T21	T20	-	-	-
33	208	🇹🇱 Timor-Leste	T21	T17	T12	T24	T18	T20	T16	T21	T18	-	-	-
34	209	🇵🇼 Palau	T22	T21	T12	T23	T17	T20	T19	T21	T19	-	-	-
35	210	🇰🇮 Kiribati	T22	T21	T12	T25	T18	T23	T18	T18	T18	-	-	-
36	211	🇱🇦 Laos	T17	T13	T13	T24	T18	T21	T19	T25	T18	-	-	-
37	214	🇸🇧 Solomon Islands	T15	T16	T14	T26	T18	T21	T21	T28	T24	-	-	-
38	215	🇫🇲 Micronesia	T23	T17	T14	T28	T20	T25	T20	T26	T23	-	-	-

Source. GINC Data Laboratory, February 2026

Europe and Central Asia

Europe and Central Asia is the region most densely represented at the top of the global capability rankings, reflecting centuries of accumulated institutional, technological and economic development. From the industrial revolution to the construction of the European Union, the region has been central to the architecture of the modern international order – in trade, governance, defence and research. It also spans an enormous range of political systems and development levels, from the advanced democracies of western Europe to the post-Soviet states of Central Asia.

That range is clearly visible in the GINC data. Eleven of the region's 58 nations sit inside the global top 20 – more than any other region – and ten hold at least one T1 frontier position. Switzerland (rank 3, six T1s) and Estonia (rank 5, four T1s) lead the table, followed by the Netherlands, Sweden, France, Norway, Germany, Denmark, Finland and the United Kingdom – a concentration of capability that is unmatched globally. The median global rank of 53 is the second-lowest (i.e. second-strongest) of any region, behind only North America. Yet the tail is long: the spread runs from 3rd to 203rd, with Central Asian and Western Balkan nations occupying the lower ranks, highlighting the sharp internal disparities that EU enlargement and neighbourhood policy have sought, with mixed success, to address.

Figure 4. Europe & Central Asia: 2026 National Capability Ratings

National Capability			Hard Capability			Soft Capability			Econ Capability			Frontiers
#R	#G	Nation	CT	SI	NS	HC	II	GI	FS	PI	TI	T1	T2	T3
1	3	🇨🇭 Switzerland	T2	T2	T6	T1	T1	T1	T1	T1	T1	6	2	-
2	5	🇪🇪 Estonia	T5	T3	T5	T1	T1	T1	T5	T2	T1	4	1	1
3	7	🇳🇱 Netherlands	T1	T1	T4	T3	T1	T2	T2	T2	T2	3	4	1
4	8	🇸🇪 Sweden	T3	T2	T5	T2	T1	T1	T2	T1	T2	3	4	1
5	10	🇫🇷 France	T1	T1	T2	T4	T1	T5	T2	T3	T3	3	2	2
5	10	🇳🇴 Norway	T3	T1	T5	T2	T1	T1	T2	T4	T3	3	2	2
7	12	🇩🇪 Germany	T1	T1	T4	T4	T1	T4	T2	T2	T3	3	2	1
8	14	🇩🇰 Denmark	T4	T2	T6	T2	T2	T1	T3	T2	T2	1	5	1
9	16	🇫🇮 Finland	T4	T2	T6	T2	T2	T1	T4	T2	T3	1	4	1
10	17	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	T2	T3	T3	T4	T1	T4	T2	T4	T4	1	2	2
11	19	🇮🇪 Ireland	T4	T3	T9	T5	T2	T4	T5	T3	T4	-	1	2
12	24	🇦🇹 Austria	T3	T3	T7	T3	T3	T4	T5	T4	T4	-	-	4
13	25	🇱🇺 Luxembourg	T5	T3	T7	T3	T3	T3	T5	T5	T5	-	-	4
14	26	🇧🇪 Belgium	T3	T3	T5	T5	T4	T5	T4	T3	T4	-	-	3
15	27	🇪🇸 Spain	T4	T3	T4	T6	T3	T6	T3	T5	T5	-	-	3
16	29	🇮🇹 Italy	T3	T4	T3	T7	T4	T7	T6	T6	T5	-	-	2
17	30	🇮🇸 Iceland	T6	T3	T9	T4	T3	T4	T8	T6	T7	-	-	2
18	31	🇵🇹 Portugal	T5	T4	T6	T6	T3	T5	T6	T5	T6	-	-	1
19	33	🇱🇹 Lithuania	T6	T4	T6	T6	T3	T5	T6	T5	T7	-	-	1
20	34	🇷🇺 Russia	T4	T5	T3	T9	T6	T11	T10	T9	T11	-	-	1
21	36	🇵🇱 Poland	T5	T4	T4	T7	T4	T8	T5	T5	T6	-	-	-
22	37	🇨🇿 Czechia	T5	T4	T6	T6	T4	T7	T6	T5	T5	-	-	-
23	38	🇱🇮 Liechtenstein	T7	T4	T10	T4	T5	T5	T8	T7	T9	-	-	-
24	39	🇸🇮 Slovenia	T6	T4	T7	T6	T5	T6	T6	T5	T5	-	-	-
25	44	🇭🇺 Hungary	T6	T4	T7	T8	T5	T10	T6	T7	T7	-	-	-
26	47	🇺🇦 Ukraine	T7	T7	T5	T13	T4	T13	T12	T14	T13	-	-	-
27	48	🇸🇰 Slovakia	T7	T4	T8	T7	T6	T9	T7	T8	T7	-	-	-
28	52	🇬🇷 Greece	T6	T5	T5	T9	T5	T8	T7	T9	T7	-	-	-
29	53	🇹🇷 Türkiye	T5	T5	T5	T9	T6	T11	T7	T8	T9	-	-	-
30	54	🇷🇴 Romania	T6	T5	T5	T9	T6	T9	T6	T8	T8	-	-	-
31	55	🇱🇻 Latvia	T8	T5	T7	T7	T5	T6	T7	T6	T8	-	-	-
32	56	🇭🇷 Croatia	T7	T5	T7	T8	T5	T8	T7	T9	T7	-	-	-
33	57	🇲🇹 Malta	T10	T5	T10	T7	T5	T9	T8	T8	T8	-	-	-
34	58	🇲🇨 Monaco	T8	T5	T8	T6	T6	T7	T8	T10	T12	-	-	-
35	60	🇦🇿 Azerbaijan	T11	T5	T6	T11	T8	T11	T7	T13	T8	-	-	-
36	61	🇫🇴 Faroe Islands	T6	T7	T5	T9	T9	T11	T8	T9	T11	-	-	-
37	75	🇨🇾 Cyprus	T9	T6	T9	T7	T6	T8	T9	T11	T9	-	-	-
38	77	🇧🇬 Bulgaria	T8	T6	T6	T10	T9	T11	T8	T10	T9	-	-	-
39	80	🇰🇿 Kazakhstan	T9	T6	T7	T10	T8	T11	T7	T12	T10	-	-	-
40	83	🇲🇪 Montenegro	T13	T11	T8	T10	T12	T10	T8	T6	T7	-	-	-
41	84	🇮🇲 Isle of Man	T9	T9	T6	T12	T10	T11	T7	T8	T9	-	-	-
42	91	🇬🇪 Georgia	T12	T8	T6	T11	T10	T10	T8	T8	T9	-	-	-
43	93	🇸🇲 San Marino	T11	T6	T8	T10	T8	T9	T11	T14	T14	-	-	-
44	94	🇦🇲 Armenia	T9	T10	T8	T12	T8	T14	T12	T6	T12	-	-	-
45	97	🇧🇾 Belarus	T9	T8	T6	T11	T14	T19	T16	T15	T15	-	-	-
46	99	🇲🇩 Moldova	T14	T12	T6	T13	T11	T13	T9	T9	T12	-	-	-
47	101	🇯🇪 Channel Islands	T10	T7	T11	T9	T7	T7	T7	T8	T10	-	-	-
48	103	🇷🇸 Serbia	T9	T7	T7	T9	T8	T14	T8	T12	T10	-	-	-
49	106	🇦🇩 Andorra	T12	T7	T10	T8	T7	T9	T11	T17	T16	-	-	-
50	124	🇺🇿 Uzbekistan	T11	T8	T8	T15	T12	T14	T10	T14	T12	-	-	-
51	145	🇹🇲 Turkmenistan	T15	T9	T10	T25	T16	T23	T18	T23	T20	-	-	-
52	146	🇲🇰 North Macedonia	T12	T11	T9	T15	T11	T12	T11	T14	T12	-	-	-
53	167	🇦🇱 Albania	T13	T12	T10	T18	T13	T15	T12	T18	T14	-	-	-
54	176	🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan	T15	T14	T10	T22	T15	T18	T16	T22	T17	-	-	-
55	181	🇹🇯 Tajikistan	T16	T15	T10	T25	T17	T22	T19	T25	T21	-	-	-
56	185	🇬🇱 Greenland	T12	T13	T11	T20	T16	T15	T13	T17	T16	-	-	-
57	186	🇧🇦 Bosnia & Herzegovina	T13	T12	T11	T19	T15	T18	T15	T20	T16	-	-	-
58	203	🇽🇰 Kosovo	T12	T15	T13	T22	T14	T16	T15	T22	T17	-	-	-

Source. GINC Data Laboratory, February 2026

Latin America and Caribbean

Latin America and the Caribbean is a region of considerable natural wealth, cultural influence and democratic tradition, yet one that has struggled to translate those assets into sustained national capability. Commodity dependence, institutional volatility and persistent inequality have shaped a development trajectory that has often fallen short of the region's potential. More recently, nearshoring trends, critical-mineral demand and growing digital economies have opened new avenues, but the region remains largely on the periphery of the global technology and security architectures that drive the highest capability rankings.

The GINC data bear this out. None of the 41 nations in the region appears in the global top 20 or holds a T1 frontier position in any capability domain. Chile leads at global rank 41, followed by Uruguay (rank 45) and Mexico (rank 46) – a tightly bunched top tier that reflects solid but not frontier-level performance across most domains. The median global rank is 117, and the spread runs from 41st to 198th, with a long tail of Caribbean micro-states facing the compounding challenges of small scale, exposure to climate shocks and limited fiscal space. The region's strongest suits tend to be governance and trade rather than technology or security, a profile that distinguishes it from the higher-ranked regions.

Source. GINC Data Laboratory, February 2026

Figure 5. Latin America & Caribbean: 2026 National Capability Ratings

National 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	🇨🇱 Chile	T6	T4	T6	T7	T5	T7	T5	T6	T6	-	-	-
2	45	🇺🇾 Uruguay	T9	T5	T9	T6	T4	T6	T9	T10	T9	-	-	-
3	46	🇲🇽 Mexico	T7	T5	T8	T10	T4	T9	T6	T9	T7	-	-	-
4	64	🇹🇨 Turks and Caicos Islands	T7	T8	T5	T11	T7	T12	T7	T7	T7	-	-	-
5	66	🇯🇲 Jamaica	T13	T8	T11	T14	T5	T11	T11	T16	T13	-	-	-
6	69	🇧🇷 Brazil	T6	T6	T6	T10	T8	T11	T7	T9	T10	-	-	-
7	73	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	T10	T6	T8	T7	T6	T8	T7	T7	T8	-	-	-
8	76	🇲🇫 Saint Martin	T6	T7	T6	T12	T8	T13	T9	T11	T11	-	-	-
9	78	🇵🇷 Puerto Rico	T8	T7	T7	T10	T6	T8	T7	T7	T8	-	-	-
10	85	🇵🇪 Peru	T11	T7	T6	T13	T10	T12	T8	T14	T10	-	-	-
11	87	🇳🇮 Nicaragua	T6	T9	T7	T13	T11	T16	T14	T14	T14	-	-	-
12	92	🇵🇦 Panama	T10	T6	T8	T13	T8	T10	T10	T14	T9	-	-	-
13	95	🇨🇺 Cuba	T6	T8	T8	T9	T13	T17	T19	T22	T17	-	-	-
14	98	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	T12	T6	T8	T12	T12	T12	T11	T10	T11	-	-	-
15	101	🇨🇴 Colombia	T10	T7	T7	T10	T7	T11	T7	T8	T9	-	-	-
16	104	🇦🇷 Argentina	T7	T8	T7	T11	T8	T11	T12	T13	T12	-	-	-
17	110	🇧🇧 Barbados	T14	T7	T11	T9	T7	T10	T12	T17	T15	-	-	-
18	111	🇰🇾 Cayman Islands	T11	T7	T11	T10	T8	T8	T10	T18	T14	-	-	-
19	112	🇻🇮 US Virgin Islands	T13	T14	T8	T14	T13	T10	T8	T7	T10	-	-	-
20	113	🇻🇨 St Vincent and the Grenadines	T16	T16	T8	T18	T13	T11	T8	T7	T10	-	-	-
21	117	🇬🇩 Grenada	T10	T10	T7	T14	T11	T16	T10	T10	T12	-	-	-
22	120	🇰🇳 Saint Kitts and Nevis	T12	T12	T7	T17	T14	T18	T13	T16	T15	-	-	-
23	123	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	T12	T8	T9	T16	T8	T14	T12	T16	T13	-	-	-
24	125	🇦🇼 Aruba	T15	T8	T12	T11	T8	T10	T13	T21	T17	-	-	-
25	128	🇱🇨 Saint Lucia	T18	T15	T9	T17	T13	T16	T10	T8	T9	-	-	-
26	129	🇨🇼 Curaçao	T14	T12	T9	T14	T11	T14	T8	T10	T11	-	-	-
27	133	🇪🇨 Ecuador	T12	T10	T8	T15	T12	T15	T11	T16	T13	-	-	-
28	135	🇸🇷 Suriname	T15	T14	T8	T18	T14	T15	T11	T12	T13	-	-	-
29	136	🇻🇪 Venezuela	T14	T12	T8	T25	T15	T24	T18	T23	T21	-	-	-
30	159	🇸🇻 El Salvador	T15	T13	T9	T20	T13	T18	T15	T18	T15	-	-	-
31	163	🇧🇸 Bahamas	T14	T13	T10	T19	T11	T11	T12	T16	T15	-	-	-
32	170	🇬🇹 Guatemala	T14	T12	T10	T21	T14	T18	T16	T19	T15	-	-	-
33	171	🇭🇳 Honduras	T15	T12	T10	T20	T15	T20	T16	T18	T15	-	-	-
34	178	🇸🇽 Sint Maarten	T17	T15	T10	T21	T16	T18	T15	T21	T18	-	-	-
35	179	🇧🇿 Belize	T19	T15	T10	T23	T15	T19	T18	T22	T19	-	-	-
36	183	🇧🇴 Bolivia	T15	T11	T11	T20	T15	T17	T15	T21	T19	-	-	-
37	184	🇵🇾 Paraguay	T15	T11	T11	T20	T16	T17	T15	T21	T17	-	-	-
38	187	🇬🇾 Guyana	T16	T12	T11	T21	T15	T17	T14	T22	T15	-	-	-
39	188	🇩🇲 Dominica	T20	T16	T12	T21	T15	T17	T11	T18	T14	-	-	-
40	193	🇭🇹 Haiti	T21	T19	T11	T24	T16	T21	T15	T13	T15	-	-	-
41	198	🇦🇬 Antigua and Barbuda	T19	T16	T11	T22	T14	T19	T15	T20	T18	-	-	-

Source. GINC Data Laboratory, February 2026

Middle East and North Africa

The Middle East and North Africa occupies a unique position in the global order, shaped by its energy reserves, its location at the junction of three continents and its deep cultural and religious influence. The region's hydrocarbon wealth has underwritten ambitious diversification programmes in the Gulf states while, at the same time, prolonged conflict, institutional fragility and demographic pressure have held back several of its most populous countries. The result is a region of sharp contrasts, where ultramodern economies sit alongside states in protracted crisis.

That contrast is visible in the GINC data. Three of the region's 20 nations reach the global top 20: Israel (rank 13, two T1 frontiers), the United Arab Emirates (rank 15, one T1) and Qatar (rank 20). These three have invested heavily in technology, infrastructure and financial services, pulling well clear of the regional pack. The median global rank, however, is 78, and the range extends from 13th to 202nd. Nations such as Yemen (rank 182), Lebanon (rank 173) and Djibouti (rank 202) illustrate the degree to which conflict and institutional weakness can erode capability across every domain simultaneously.

Figure 6. Middle East & North Africa: 2026 National Capability Ratings

National Capability			Hard Capability			Soft Capability			Econ Capability			Frontiers
#R	#G	Nation	CT	SI	NS	HC	II	GI	FS	PI	TI	T1	T2	T3
1	13	🇮🇱 Israel	T2	T1	T2	T3	T2	T3	T4	T1	T3	2	3	3
2	15	🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates	T4	T1	T4	T4	T2	T2	T2	T3	T2	1	4	1
3	20	🇶🇦 Qatar	T5	T2	T6	T4	T3	T4	T4	T7	T6	-	1	1
4	32	🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia	T5	T4	T5	T8	T5	T9	T3	T6	T7	-	-	1
5	35	🇰🇼 Kuwait	T9	T3	T8	T9	T8	T11	T6	T20	T15	-	-	1
6	42	🇲🇦 Morocco	T10	T5	T6	T10	T4	T9	T6	T7	T6	-	-	-
7	49	🇧🇭 Bahrain	T9	T4	T7	T7	T9	T9	T6	T7	T9	-	-	-
8	50	🇮🇷 Iran	T6	T8	T4	T15	T11	T19	T16	T13	T15	-	-	-
9	51	🇴🇲 Oman	T9	T4	T7	T9	T7	T9	T7	T13	T10	-	-	-
10	71	🇪🇬 Egypt	T9	T6	T6	T12	T6	T13	T7	T13	T11	-	-	-
11	86	🇯🇴 Jordan	T11	T6	T8	T10	T7	T11	T11	T15	T13	-	-	-
12	90	🇩🇿 Algeria	T10	T7	T6	T18	T12	T16	T14	T19	T13	-	-	-
13	127	🇮🇶 Iraq	T14	T8	T8	T21	T15	T18	T16	T24	T17	-	-	-
14	139	🇸🇾 Syria	T18	T16	T8	T27	T19	T25	T21	T25	T22	-	-	-
15	140	🇹🇳 Tunisia	T10	T9	T9	T12	T11	T17	T13	T14	T13	-	-	-
16	144	🇵🇸 Palestine	T16	T16	T10	T17	T14	T17	T9	T12	T12	-	-	-
17	156	🇱🇾 Libya	T17	T12	T9	T26	T21	T26	T18	T26	T21	-	-	-
18	173	🇱🇧 Lebanon	T14	T14	T10	T21	T13	T21	T20	T22	T20	-	-	-
19	182	🇾🇪 Yemen	T21	T18	T10	T31	T22	T27	T20	T25	T23	-	-	-
20	202	🇩🇯 Djibouti	T13	T14	T12	T25	T18	T21	T20	T23	T14	-	-	-

Source. GINC Data Laboratory, February 2026

North America

North America is the smallest region by nation count but the most consequential by capability weight. The United States has been the dominant global power since the mid-twentieth century, underpinned by unmatched military reach, technological leadership, deep capital markets and a network of alliances that extends across every continent. Canada, its principal partner, adds significant resource wealth, institutional quality and soft-power reach. The region's influence on the global order – from the Bretton Woods institutions to the digital platforms that shape information flows worldwide – is disproportionate to its geography.

The GINC data reflect that dominance in stark terms. The United States sits at global rank 2 with seven T1 frontier positions across nine capability domains – the second-highest frontier count of any nation and a profile that spans hard, soft and economic capability alike. Its only non-frontier scores are in Human Capital (T3) and Governance & Integrity (T7), the latter a notable outlier for a nation of its overall standing. Canada (rank 23) holds no T1 positions but achieves five T3 placements, maintaining a consistent if not frontier-level presence across all domains. Bermuda (rank 105), the region's sole remaining territory, rounds out a three-nation grouping whose median global rank of 23 is the strongest of any region.

Figure 7. North America: 2026 National Capability Ratings

National Capability			Hard Capability			Soft Capability			Econ Capability			Frontiers
#R	#G	Nation	CT	SI	NS	HC	II	GI	FS	PI	TI	T1	T2	T3
1	2	🇺🇸 United States	T1	T1	T1	T3	T1	T7	T1	T1	T1	7	-	1
2	23	🇨🇦 Canada	T3	T3	T5	T4	T3	T3	T4	T3	T4	-	-	5
3	105	🇧🇲 Bermuda	T8	T9	T7	T10	T7	T10	T9	T10	T12	-	-	-

Source. GINC Data Laboratory, February 2026

South Asia

South Asia is home to nearly a quarter of the world's population, anchored by India – the world's most populous country and its fifth-largest economy. The region's strategic significance has grown steadily, driven by India's expanding technology sector, Pakistan's nuclear capability and the geopolitical attention that great-power competition in the Indo-Pacific has brought to the subcontinent. Yet South Asia also contains some of the world's deepest development deficits, with high poverty rates, limited infrastructure and, in the case of Afghanistan, state collapse.

The GINC data underscore both India's regional dominance and the region's overall fragility. India leads at global rank 40 – comfortably the highest in the region but still outside the global top 20 – followed by Pakistan at rank 67. No South Asian nation holds a T1 frontier position in any domain. The region is small, with just eight nations, and steeply tiered: after India and Pakistan there is a substantial gap to Bangladesh (rank 130) and Sri Lanka (rank 131), while the Maldives (rank 196) and Afghanistan (rank 216, the lowest-ranked nation globally) mark the lower end. The median global rank of 145 places South Asia among the weaker regions in aggregate capability terms.

Figure 8. South Asia: 2026 National Capability Ratings

National Capability			Hard Capability			Soft Capability			Econ Capability			Frontiers
#R	#G	Nation	CT	SI	NS	HC	II	GI	FS	PI	TI	T1	T2	T3
1	40	🇮🇳 India	T5	T5	T4	T9	T5	T11	T6	T7	T8	-	-	-
2	67	🇵🇰 Pakistan	T11	T10	T5	T20	T13	T18	T12	T18	T13	-	-	-
3	130	🇧🇩 Bangladesh	T11	T10	T8	T13	T9	T15	T11	T16	T13	-	-	-
4	143	🇧🇹 Bhutan	T18	T12	T10	T20	T9	T14	T12	T15	T15	-	-	-
5	147	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	T11	T11	T9	T14	T12	T16	T14	T17	T14	-	-	-
6	158	🇳🇵 Nepal	T15	T13	T9	T18	T14	T17	T13	T17	T17	-	-	-
7	196	🇲🇻 Maldives	T16	T14	T11	T15	T15	T18	T15	T22	T19	-	-	-
8	216	🇦🇫 Afghanistan	T21	T19	T14	T30	T22	T26	T21	T27	T25	-	-	-

Source. GINC Data Laboratory, February 2026

Sub Saharan Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa is the world's youngest and fastest-growing region by population, a factor that gives it enormous latent economic and strategic potential. It is also a region whose modern trajectory has been shaped by the legacies of colonialism, resource dependence and institutional underdevelopment. Over the past two decades, improvements in governance, digital infrastructure and regional integration – through frameworks such as the African Continental Free Trade Area – have begun to shift the capability picture, though progress remains uneven.

The GINC data reflect both the potential and the distance still to travel. None of the 48 nations in the region holds a T1 frontier position in any capability domain, and none appears in the global top 20. South Africa leads the region at global rank 68, followed by Mauritius (rank 72) and Botswana (rank 81) – three economies with comparatively strong governance and financial systems. The median global rank is 154, the lowest of any region, and the spread runs from 68th to 213th. The region's challenge is structural: building the institutional depth, human-capital base and technological capacity needed to convert demographic weight into national capability.

Figure 9. Sub-Saharan Africa: 2026 National Capability Ratings

National Capability			Hard Capability			Soft Capability			Econ Capability			Frontiers
#R	#G	Nation	CT	SI	NS	HC	II	GI	FS	PI	TI	T1	T2	T3
1	68	🇿🇦 South Africa	T6	T6	T6	T9	T7	T9	T7	T9	T9	-	-	-
2	72	🇲🇺 Mauritius	T13	T6	T10	T9	T6	T8	T6	T10	T8	-	-	-
3	81	🇧🇼 Botswana	T14	T7	T9	T11	T6	T8	T7	T14	T13	-	-	-
4	82	🇷🇼 Rwanda	T14	T7	T8	T10	T6	T7	T10	T13	T12	-	-	-
5	89	🇳🇬 Nigeria	T12	T10	T6	T14	T7	T13	T10	T14	T12	-	-	-
6	100	🇨🇫 Central African Republic	T23	T20	T10	T25	T16	T12	T6	T14	T12	-	-	-
7	107	🇰🇪 Kenya	T12	T7	T8	T11	T7	T12	T9	T13	T11	-	-	-
8	108	🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo	T18	T12	T8	T20	T14	T11	T7	T7	T9	-	-	-
9	109	🇪🇷 Eritrea	T20	T16	T8	T21	T15	T14	T7	T7	T10	-	-	-
10	116	🇨🇮 Côte d'Ivoire	T14	T7	T9	T17	T11	T14	T9	T15	T12	-	-	-
11	118	🇨🇻 Cabo Verde	T17	T15	T11	T18	T7	T10	T14	T18	T16	-	-	-
12	121	🇰🇲 Comoros	T17	T19	T8	T22	T13	T13	T9	T8	T8	-	-	-
13	122	🇬🇭 Ghana	T13	T9	T8	T14	T8	T10	T10	T14	T12	-	-	-
14	126	🇸🇳 Senegal	T13	T11	T8	T16	T8	T13	T10	T16	T13	-	-	-
15	132	🇬🇳 Guinea	T19	T15	T9	T20	T15	T13	T12	T8	T13	-	-	-
16	134	🇲🇷 Mauritania	T13	T12	T8	T22	T14	T16	T11	T14	T13	-	-	-
17	138	🇹🇩 Chad	T22	T19	T8	T24	T18	T22	T19	T19	T16	-	-	-
18	142	🇳🇦 Namibia	T13	T10	T9	T17	T14	T11	T12	T15	T14	-	-	-
19	149	🇿🇲 Zambia	T15	T9	T12	T20	T15	T16	T11	T18	T14	-	-	-
20	150	🇦🇴 Angola	T14	T11	T9	T23	T14	T18	T13	T20	T15	-	-	-
21	151	🇪🇹 Ethiopia	T12	T12	T9	T19	T13	T17	T16	T19	T14	-	-	-
22	152	🇺🇬 Uganda	T15	T13	T9	T17	T13	T16	T12	T18	T14	-	-	-
23	153	🇸🇱 Sierra Leone	T19	T16	T9	T24	T16	T19	T12	T13	T13	-	-	-
24	154	🇱🇸 Lesotho	T19	T16	T9	T21	T15	T18	T12	T14	T13	-	-	-
25	155	🇲🇬 Madagascar	T17	T15	T9	T21	T15	T18	T12	T15	T14	-	-	-
26	157	🇨🇲 Cameroon	T15	T13	T9	T20	T15	T18	T13	T17	T14	-	-	-
27	160	🇨🇩 DR Congo	T18	T15	T9	T24	T17	T20	T15	T19	T16	-	-	-
28	161	🇸🇸 South Sudan	T24	T20	T9	T30	T20	T22	T16	T17	T15	-	-	-
29	162	🇸🇩 Sudan	T17	T15	T9	T26	T19	T24	T18	T23	T20	-	-	-
30	164	🇸🇨 Seychelles	T14	T13	T10	T11	T13	T12	T14	T18	T17	-	-	-
31	165	🇹🇿 Tanzania	T14	T11	T10	T19	T12	T17	T13	T19	T14	-	-	-
32	168	🇳🇪 Niger	T20	T18	T10	T23	T17	T20	T12	T12	T13	-	-	-
33	169	🇬🇦 Gabon	T15	T12	T10	T22	T17	T19	T13	T18	T17	-	-	-
34	172	🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau	T22	T20	T10	T29	T19	T21	T12	T18	T17	-	-	-
35	174	🇬🇲 Gambia	T19	T18	T10	T21	T16	T17	T13	T15	T14	-	-	-
36	175	🇹🇬 Togo	T17	T14	T10	T24	T17	T19	T14	T19	T15	-	-	-
37	177	🇸🇴 Somalia	T21	T17	T10	T27	T16	T22	T14	T17	T18	-	-	-
38	180	🇲🇼 Malawi	T17	T15	T10	T23	T17	T19	T16	T20	T18	-	-	-
39	189	🇲🇿 Mozambique	T16	T12	T11	T24	T16	T18	T15	T22	T15	-	-	-
40	194	🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea	T19	T13	T11	T25	T18	T22	T17	T23	T19	-	-	-
41	197	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	T15	T14	T11	T22	T15	T20	T16	T21	T16	-	-	-
42	199	🇲🇱 Mali	T19	T16	T11	T25	T18	T22	T14	T22	T18	-	-	-
43	200	🇸🇿 Eswatini	T16	T15	T11	T22	T17	T20	T17	T21	T16	-	-	-
44	201	🇱🇷 Liberia	T20	T17	T11	T26	T18	T21	T17	T24	T19	-	-	-
45	205	🇧🇯 Benin	T18	T14	T12	T23	T16	T19	T14	T21	T16	-	-	-
46	206	🇧🇫 Burkina Faso	T19	T17	T12	T25	T19	T24	T14	T23	T20	-	-	-
47	212	🇸🇹 São Tomé and Príncipe	T22	T20	T13	T27	T19	T22	T19	T25	T22	-	-	-
48	213	🇧🇮 Burundi	T21	T19	T13	T27	T21	T24	T20	T24	T20	-	-	-