Published April 5th, 2006 by Future Atlas
Latin American competitiveness 2005-2006
The World Economic Forum has released its new report on Latin American competitiveness.
Twenty-one countries are evaluated on the basis of macroeconomy, institutions, infrastructure, health, education, market efficiency, tech readiness, “business sophistication, and innovation. The rankings say a lot about the prospects of these countries — and 20 of the 21 rank poorly.
Country (global rank out of 117 countries)
1. Chile (27)
2. Argentina (54)
3. Costa Rica (56)
4. Brazil (57)
5. Colombia (58)
6. Mexico (59)
7. El Salvador (60)
8. Jamaica (63)
9. Panama (65)
10. Trinidad and Tobago (66)
11. Uruguay (70)
12. Peru (77)
13. Venezuela (84)
14. Ecuador (87)
15. Dominican Rep. (91)
16. Guatemala (95)
17. Nicaragua (96)
18. Honduras (97)
19. Bolivia (101)
20. Paraguay (102)
21. Guyana (108)
Chile is highly competitive, surpassing 13 of the EU’s 25 members.
The rest of the region lags. Despite some improvements
Latin America still suffers from one of the most inequitable income distributions worldwide, social tensions and an increasing sense of reform fatigue. Moreover, the region seems to be losing ground as foreign direct investment and trade shares shift to other developing regions, notably Asia and Eastern Europe.
Still, Latin America had its highest growth since 1980 in 2005, and many structural factors are in better shape than in previous decades.