Taiwan MOFA — June 22, 2026
Taiwan moved up two places to fourth among 70 economies covered in the 2026 World Competitiveness Ranking released June 18 by Switzerland-based International Institute for Management Development (IMD). According to the National Development Council, this is the country’s best-ever ranking since it was first included in the annual survey in 1997. Taiwan has also remained in the top spot among countries with a population of more than 20 million people for six years in a row. The report said that given worsening geopolitical conditions and increasing global fragmentation, the drivers of national competitiveness have shifted from the traditional emphasis on cost, scale and output to institutional credibility, adaptability and resilience.
Among the four major factors used to gauge an economy’s overall competitiveness, Taiwan jumped five spots to fifth in economic performance — the main reason behind its overall improvement. The country moved up two spots to sixth in government efficiency and remained fourth in business efficiency and 10th in infrastructure. In the analysis of the 264 criteria that make up the overall survey, Taiwan led the world in eight categories including freely elected government, entrepreneurship and opportunities; ranked second in 12 including business expenditure on R&D and real GDP growth per capita; and placed third in 10 including citizen trust in artificial intelligence, higher education achievement and high-tech exports. These strong showings reflect Taiwan’s long-standing advantages in R&D capabilities, industrial competitiveness, business governance and talent quality.