Saudi Arabia has advanced four positions in the 2026 IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook, ranking 13th globally among 70 economies and securing 3rd place among G20 economies. The yearbook, published by the International Institute for Management Development (IMD), 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 progress was driven by improvements across all four competitiveness factors: Economic Performance, Government Efficiency, Business Efficiency, and Infrastructure. Saudi Arabia also improved its performance in 15 of the 20 sub-factors assessed by the yearbook.
Commenting on the results, Minister of Commerce and Chairman of the Board of the Saudi Competitiveness and Business Center Majid Al-Kassabi stated that the Kingdom’s continued advancement in the IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook and other leading international benchmarks reflects the commitment of His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, to achieving the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030, particularly those related to economic growth, competitiveness, and sustainable development.
According to IMD, the Kingdom’s improved performance reflects strong progress across the four competitiveness factors, supported by notable gains in several sub-factors, particularly International Trade, Employment, and Business Legislation.
Saudi Arabia ranked 3rd among G20 countries after the United States and China, recording superiority over all countries of the group – according to the report’s criteria – in both Government Efficiency and Business Efficiency.
Economic Performance and Government Efficiency both advanced from 17th to 12th place globally. Business Efficiency improved from 12th to ninth place, while Infrastructure advanced from 31st to 28th place.
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 second globally in Social Cohesion, Early-Stage Entrepreneurial Activity, Understanding the Need for Economic and Social Reforms, and Public-Private Partnerships to support technological development.
In addition, the Kingdom ranked third globally in several key criteria, including Government Adaptability to Economic Changes, Public Finance, Transparency of Government Policy, Creation of Firms (is supported by legislation), Value System, Regulatory Compliance (Banking Laws), and Electricity Costs for Industrial Clients. Overall, Saudi Arabia ranked among the global top 10 in 74 criteria out of the 262 criteria assessed by the yearbook.
Results from the IMD Executive Opinion Survey highlighted the Kingdom’s attractiveness as a business destination, citing strengths such as the dynamism of the Saudi economy, government effectiveness, high-quality infrastructure, policy stability, access to finance, strong corporate governance, an effective legal framework, positive societal attitudes, and a business-friendly environment.
The Kingdom’s latest achievement reflects the ongoing efforts of the Saudi Competitiveness and Business Center, working closely with government partners to enhance national competitiveness. These efforts include monitoring and updating national data in coordination with the General Authority for Statistics and other stakeholders, implementing more than 1,000 legislative, procedural, and technical reforms, addressing private-sector challenges, and raising awareness of government reforms and initiatives.
Published annually by IMD, the World Competitiveness Yearbook is one of the world's most respected competitiveness benchmarks, assessing and comparing the performance of 70 economies across a comprehensive set of competitiveness criteria.
