South Korea Ranks 21st in National Competitiveness, Surpassing Japan and Germany

South Korea has secured 21st place among 70 countries in the '2026 National Competitiveness Assessment' released by the Swiss International Institute for Management Development (IMD), surpassing Germany (23rd), the United Kingdom (24th), and Japan (30th). The results, disclosed by the Ministry of Economy and Finance on the 18th, represent a six-place jump from the previous year (27th) and mark the second-highest ranking ever, following the record-high 20th place in 2024.

The improvement in this year's ranking was influenced by advancements in corporate efficiency and infrastructure. Among '30-50 Club' countries – nations with a per capita income exceeding $30,000 and a population over 50 million – South Korea rose to second place, one step up from the previous year, with the United States ranking first.

However, not all sectors saw an increase. The economic performance category dropped three places from 11th to 14th, and government efficiency remained stagnant at 31st place, unchanged from the previous year.

The IMD National Competitiveness Assessment ranks 70 countries annually based on four key areas: economic performance, government efficiency, business efficiency, and infrastructure, using a total of 336 indicators.