The Global Sustainable Competitiveness Index 2025
ZURICH, SWITZERLAND AND SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA / ACCESS Newswire / December 16, 2025 / First published in 2012, the Global Sustainable Competitiveness Index (GSCI) measures country-level performance based on over 250 quantitative indicators, derived from international organisations such as the World Bank, various UN agencies, the IMF. The GSCI serves as inclusive alternative to the GDP, to assess country-specific and issue-specific risks for operators and investors, and to verify development progress for government agencies. The GSCI is officially used by four national governments to benchmark their progress on the path to sustainable and competitive development.
Key insights from the Global Sustainable Competitiveness Index 2025
Scandinavia continues to make its mark on the Sustainable Competitiveness Index: of the top 5 spots, 3 are Scandinavian. Finland tops the Index for the first time, followed by Sweden and Denmark, with Estonia and Switzerland completing the top 5. Northern European countries dominate the top 20 rankings: Japan is the only non-European country in the Top 20 (Korea follows on 23)
Asian nations (China, South Korea, Japan, and Singapore) lead the Intellectual and Innovation Capital Index, reflecting the ongoing shift to technological leadership to Asia. Most leaders in Europe seemingly have not yet realised how far Asia has left the rest of the World behind, and the data suggests this is only the beginning
The US is ranked 42, performing comparatively poor in resource efficiency and social capital, putting the countries global leadership and status at risk
China is leading the Intellectual Capital Index for the first time, is ranked 34 overall, but faces challenges in Natural Capital and Resource Efficiency. However, trajectory in efficiency terms is positive, underlined by the record pace of installation of renewable energy capacity
Germany, France, and the UK maintain strong positions in the top 15
India (ranked 97) and Pakistan (ranked 124) face significant challenges in Natural Capital and Resource Efficiency, raising concerns about their long-term ability to sustain their large and growing populations
Egypt (ranked 102) and Nigeria (ranked 137) reflect broader African challenges, with critically low Natural Capital combined with low Social Capital threatening the continent's capacity to support population growth and economic development in the long-term
Brazil (ranked 59) leads South America but faces declining Natural Capital scores, particularly in deforestation and biodiversity loss, which could undermine the region's long-term competitiveness
The global gap to a perfect sustainable competitive World is 53.0. We are far from an inclusive and circular society that lives in equilibrium with the natural environment
There is immense untapped potential. Policies geared to maximise efficiency, improve education, and reduce inequality could lead to significant positive developments
Sustainable Competitiveness
Sustainable competitiveness is the ability to generate and sustain inclusive wealth without diminishing the future capability of sustaining or increasing current wealth levels. The Global Sustainable Competitiveness Index (GSCI) measures sustainable competitiveness based on over 250 quantitative indicators derived from international organisations (World Bank, IMF, various UN Agencies). The indicators are grouped into six foundations of competitiveness of a nation-economy:
Natural Capital Index: The given natural environment
Resource Efficiency Index: Resource usage per capita and per economic output
Social Capital Index: Social cohesion, health, freedom, security, equality
Intellectual Capital & Innovation Index: Education and innovation indicators
Economic Sustainability: Sustainable economic development, business and economic frameworks & performance
The Global Governance Performance Index: Infrastructure, resource allocation, corruption, and fiscal considerations
ESG-Adjusted Sovereign Bond Ratings
Traditional credit ratings focus narrowly on economic and financial indicators, often overvaluing resource-dependent economies while undervaluing lesser developed countries with high potential. SolAbility's ESG-adjusted sovereign bond ratings provide a more comprehensive risk assessment by integrating the GSCI's 250+ quantitative indicators across six capital dimensions
This methodology corrects systemic biases in conventional ratings, where poorer nations often face artificially elevated borrowing costs, and offers investors and governments a more accurate evaluation of sovereign risk for capital allocation decisions.
For more information, visit the Global Sustainable Competitiveness Index page or download reports and data.
SolAbility is an independent Korean-Swiss think-tank and the proud publisher of the Global Sustainable Competitiveness Index.
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SOURCE: SolAbility
View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:
https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/business-and-professional-services/the-global-sustainable-competitiveness-index-2025-nordics-contin-1118070