Romania drops 12 positions in ranking of most competitive economies in the world
Romania has dropped 12 positions, to 61st place, in the ranking of the most competitive 70 economies in the world, according to the latest edition of the annual report of the Institute for Management and Development (IMD), published on Thursday, June 18.
Romania is outranked by countries such as Poland (41st place), Hungary (51st), and Bulgaria (56th), but is ahead of countries such as Mexico (62nd place) and Slovakia (63rd place) in the ranking.
In the last year, Romania dropped across all metrics measured by the ranking. It is now ranked 62nd in economic performance (versus 56th in 2025), 61st in government efficiency (44th in 2025), 69th in business efficiency (50th previously), and 55th in infrastructure (45th previously). The country also registered drops in basic infrastructure (18 places), technological infrastructure (20 places), scientific infrastructure (8 places), and education (6 places).
Among Romania’s challenges were the higher efficiency of public expenditure to decrease the budgetary deficit; accelerating investments in areas of smart specialization, research, development, and innovation; providing support for companies to implement digital transformation; improving healthcare and education systems; and modernizing the national defense industry.
At the global level, Switzerland has lost its position as the most competitive economy in the world in favor of Singapore, slipping to third place in the ranking, as US trade tariffs and a strong Swiss franc have affected investment flows.
Although Switzerland remained the European country with the best score, it was also overtaken by Hong Kong in the IMD World Competitiveness Ranking 2026. Business efficiency was essential for Singapore’s return to first place, a position it last held in 2024.
The World Competitiveness Yearbook (WCY) study is conducted annually, starting in 1989, and analyzes the competitiveness of economies based on nearly 350 criteria. The 2026 study includes 70 countries. The indicators are grouped into four categories, namely economic performance, government efficiency, business efficiency, and infrastructure.
(Photo source: Natanel Alfredo|Dreamstime.com)
