Mumbai:
The United States with its innovative businesses and top universities is the world''s
most competitive economy despite concerns over its fiscal health, the World Economic
Forum (WEF) said in its Global Competitiveness Report. India
has slipped six places to rank 48th in the Global Competitiveness Index 2007 even
as China, already more competitive than India, has moved up one position to become
the world''s 34th most competitive economy. However,
India ranks ahead of China in the ''Business Competitive Index'' list, published
for the first time. India has been placed at 31st, as against 57th for China on
this list. The
US, which ranked sixth, last year, has beaten last year''s topper Switzerland to
the top post. The US is now followed by Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden and Germany
at the top of the Global Competitiveness Index. Other countries in the top-ten
are Finland (6th), Singapore (7th), Japan (8th), the UK (9th) and the Netherlands
(10th). The sheer
size of the US market made it "arguably the country with the most productive
and innovative potential in the world," the Swiss-based WEF said in its 2007
report. This
was in spite of Washington''s huge budget and trade deficits and the erosion of
the US dollar that have caused many to question whether the long-time economic
leader was losing ground to emerging players India and China. While
it ranked first overall among 131 countries - fending off Switzerland, Denmark,
Sweden and Germany in the top five - the United States scored 75th for macroeconomic
stability, behind developing countries including Tunisia, Vietnam and Mongolia. Singapore
and Japan were the top-ranked Asian countries in the index, in seventh and eighth
place. Chile,
ranked 26th, was named the most competitive Latin American economy. Mexico placed
52nd, Brazil was 72nd and Argentina ranked what the Forum called "a disappointing
85th." The
WEF changed its way of calculating countries'' competitiveness in 2007, making
direct comparisons with prior rankings impossible. After
recalculating last year''s list to reflect those changes -- which include expanded
analysis of financial, labour and goods markets, and a new emphasis on market
size - it said the United States had also ranked first in 2006, followed by Britain,
Denmark, Switzerland and Japan. In
the 2007 index, Israel was the top-ranked Middle Eastern country, in 17th place,
followed by oil exporters Kuwait and Qatar who were ranked 30th and 31st ahead
of Saudi Arabia at 35. Resurgent
economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa is "not yet reflected in improved competitiveness
rankings for the region," the Forum said. South Africa, ranked 44th overall,
had the continent''s best showing, followed by Mauritius in 60th.
Sub-Saharan
African countries, including Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Burundi dominated the very
bottom of the ranking. Chad was rated lowest, in 131st and last place.
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