RIYADH — Saudi Arabia has advanced four positions in the 2026 IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook, including ranking 13th globally among 70 economies and securing third place among G20 countries.
Published annually by the International Institute for Management Development (IMD), the yearbook is one of the world’s leading benchmarks for measuring national competitiveness and is closely monitored by the Saudi Competitiveness and Business Center in collaboration with relevant government entities.
The Kingdom’s ranking reflects a sustained upward trajectory in recent years, improving from 36th place in 2017 to 13th place in 2026, which was driven by improvements across all four main competitiveness factors.
Figure in IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook showing Saudi Arabia’s ranking at 13th place globally.
In addition, Economic Performance improved from 31st to 28th place globally, Government Efficiency advanced from 12th to ninth place, while both Business Efficiency and Infrastructure improved from 17th to 12th place.
The Kingdom also enhanced its performance in 15 of the 20 sub-factors assessed by 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 advancement in the Yearbook and other leading international benchmarks reflects the commitment of Crowm Prince Mohammed bin Salman to achieving the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030, particularly those related to economic growth, competitiveness, and sustainable development.
According to IMD, other than the Kingdom’s improved performance across the four competitiveness factors, its achievements were supported by notable gains in several sub-factors, particularly International Trade, Employment, and Business Legislation.
Figure in IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook showing Saudi Arabia’s rank at 12th place globally in economic performance.
These efforts include implementing more than 1,000 legislative, procedural, and technical reforms, monitoring and updating national data in coordination with the General Authority for Statistics and other stakeholders, addressing private-sector challenges, and raising awareness of government reforms and initiatives.
Saudi Arabia secured first place worldwide in Commercial Services Exports Growth, Terms of Trade, Banking and Financial Services, Cybersecurity, and Internet Users per Thousand Population. It also achieved top-three global rankings in 17 criteria and ranked among the global top 10 in 74 of the 262 criteria assessed by the yearbook.
The Kingdom also ranked second globally in Social Cohesion, Early-Stage Entrepreneurial Activity, Understanding the Need for Economic and Social Reforms, and Public-Private Partnerships supporting technological development.
Figure in IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook showing Saudi Arabia’s rank at 8th place amongst European, African and Middle Eastern countries.
It also ranked third globally in Transparency of Government Policy, Creation of Firms, Electricity Costs for Industrial Clients, Government Adaptability to Economic Changes, Public Finance, Value System, and Regulatory Compliance in Banking Laws.
Results from the IMD Executive Opinion Survey highlighted Saudi Arabia’s attractiveness as a business destination, citing strengths such as the dynamism of the Saudi economy, access to finance, a business-friendly environment, high-quality infrastructure, an effective legal framework, strong corporate governance, government effectiveness, policy stability, and positive societal attitudes.
Source: Saudi Gazette