Competitive EDGE - South Korea

Business Asia, May 17, 1999

International Institute for Management and Development Competitiveness Ranking

RANK      ECONOMY

  1             USA
  2       Singapore
  3         Finland
  4      Luxembourg
  5     Netherlands
  6     Switzerland
  7   Hong Kong SAR
  8         Denmark
  9         Germany
 10          Canada
 11         Ireland
 12       Australia
 13          Norway
 14          Sweden
 15         Britain
 16           Japan
 17         Iceland
 18          Taiwan
 19         Austria
 20     New Zealand
 21          France
 22         Belgium
 23           Spain
 24          Israel
 25           Chile
 26         Hungary
 27        Malaysia
 28        Portugal
 29           China
 30           Italy
 31          Greece
 32     Philippines
 33       Argentina
 34        Thailand
 35          Brazil
 36          Mexico

The World Competitiveness Yearbook (WCY) compiles and analyses data on the competitiveness of 47 industrialised and emerging economies in order to rank their competitiveness.

* It uses 288 criteria, which are grouped into eight Competitiveness Input Factors.

* 2/3 of the data is taken from international, regional and country statistics.

* 1/3 of the data is drawn from an executive survey (4160 respondents in 1999).

* It aggregates data aver a 5-year period.

* The index ensures accuracy though collaboration with 33 partner institutes worldwide.

Source: International Institute for Management Development, 1999