Saudi Arabia Rises to 13th in IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook
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RIYADH, June 18 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) - Saudi Arabia rose four places in the 2026 IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook, ranking 13th globally among 70 economies and third among G20 economies.
The annual yearbook, published by the International Institute for Management Development, is one of the main global benchmarks for assessing national competitiveness. The Saudi Competitiveness and Business Center monitors the Kingdom’s performance in the ranking in coordination with government entities.
Saudi Arabia’s progress was supported by improvements across all four competitiveness factors assessed by IMD: Economic Performance, Government Efficiency, Business Efficiency and Infrastructure. The Kingdom also improved in 15 of the 20 sub-factors included in the yearbook.
Minister of Commerce and Chairman of the Board of the Saudi Competitiveness and Business Center Majid Al-Kassabi said the Kingdom’s continued progress in the IMD ranking and other international benchmarks reflected the commitment of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to achieving the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030, particularly in economic growth, competitiveness and sustainable development.
According to IMD, Saudi Arabia’s improved performance was driven by gains in several areas, including International Trade, Employment and Business Legislation.
Saudi Arabia ranked third among G20 countries after the United States and China. The Kingdom ranked ahead of all G20 economies in Government Efficiency and Business Efficiency, based on the report’s criteria.
Economic Performance and Government Efficiency both advanced to 12th place globally from 17th. Business Efficiency rose to ninth place from 12th, while Infrastructure moved to 28th place from 31st.
The Kingdom achieved top-three global rankings in 17 criteria, including first place worldwide in Commercial Services Exports Growth, Terms of Trade, Banking and Financial Services, Cybersecurity and Internet Users per Thousand Population.
Saudi Arabia also ranked among the global top 10 in 74 of the 262 criteria assessed by the yearbook.
The IMD Executive Opinion Survey highlighted Saudi Arabia’s attractiveness as a business destination, citing economic dynamism, government effectiveness, infrastructure quality, policy stability, access to finance, corporate governance, an effective legal framework and a business-friendly environment.
The Saudi Competitiveness and Business Center has worked with government partners to improve national competitiveness through data monitoring, legislative and procedural reforms, support for private-sector challenges and awareness of government reform initiatives.
Source: Saudi Press Agency
