GTCI 2023 ranking: all 134 countries, scores and the top 25

The 2023 edition is the tenth, and it reads like a quiet one¹. The top three were the usual three, the movement below them was small, and a Japan that had been in the top 25 every year dropped to 26th¹. Behind the calm sits a ranking that rewards a particular profile: rich, European or Pacific-rim, strong across all six pillars. This page gives the full table of 134 countries first, then the top ten in detail, the pillar leaders, the change since 2022, and the cautions that apply when you set 2023 beside any other edition.

The 2023 ranking: top 25 of 134

Table 1 of the GTCI 2023 report lists every country with its score, income group and region¹. The first 25 rows are reproduced here as printed, and all 25 are in the high-income group¹. The ranking covers 134 countries, up from 133 in 2022, with Uzbekistan the only newcomer¹.

European countries took 17 of the top 25 places¹. The other eight are Singapore and the United States at the top, and Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Arab Emirates, South Korea and Israel¹. The notable change in the group is the exit of Japan, which gave way to South Korea, the first time for either¹. The gap steepens below the top ten: the tenth-ranked United Kingdom scores 73.75 and the 25th-ranked Israel 62.20¹.

The top ten in the GTCI 2023 ranking

Switzerland (1st, 78.96) was first in every edition to date¹. It is in the top ten on all six pillars, global leader in Enable and Retain, 2nd in Vocational and Technical Skills and 3rd in Attract¹. Its best sub-pillar is Sustainability, 1st, which the report links to high social protection and the quality of its natural environment¹. Its weakest, 15th each, are Access to Growth Opportunities and High-Level Skills¹.

Singapore (2nd, 77.11) held second place in every edition except 2020¹. It leads the world in Global Knowledge Skills, where a highly educated workforce and an innovative economy put it first in High-Level Skills and Talent Impact¹. It is 2nd in Attract and 3rd in both Grow and Vocational and Technical Skills, and 2nd in Employability¹. Its weak point is retaining talent, 36th¹.

United States (3rd, 76.60) climbed one place and returned to the top three, which it has made five times in ten years¹. It leads two pillars, Grow and Vocational and Technical Skills, with 1st in Lifelong Learning and 2nd in Formal Education¹. Attract, 22nd, is its weakest pillar¹.

Denmark (4th, 76.54) fell from 3rd in 2022² with a score only slightly below the United States’ 76.60¹. It ranks 2nd on both Enable and Retain¹. It had reached the top three just once before 2022¹.

Netherlands (5th, 74.76) achieved its highest rank and entered the top five for the first time¹. Its strongest pillar is Grow, 4th¹. Finland (6th, 74.35) climbed two places, matching its best ever rank, also reached in 2018 and 2019¹. Norway (7th, 73.96) held its place, with Retain, 3rd, its best pillar, partly driven by wide access to social protection and benefits¹.

Australia (8th, 73.93) climbed one place, its fifth top-ten finish since the index began¹. Global Knowledge Skills, 3rd, is its best pillar and Vocational and Technical Skills, 19th, its worst¹. Sweden (9th, 73.86) fell from 5th in 2022 to its lowest position in the index, though it stayed in the top ten and ranks 7th in Retain^1,2. The United Kingdom (10th, 73.75) kept its place; it has been in the top 15 every year and in the top ten eight times, and ranks 2nd in Grow but 29th in Vocational and Technical Skills¹.

A pattern worth taking from these ten: none is strong everywhere. Even Switzerland has two sub-pillars at 15th, and the United States ranks 22nd on attracting talent¹. A top-ten place is a high floor, not perfection. The rankings hub links the other editions.

Pillar leaders in GTCI 2023

The overall score averages four Input pillars and two Output pillars¹. Each pillar has its own leaders, and they overlap heavily with the overall top ten¹.

Every country in these three-deep lists also ranks in the top 15 overall¹. Luxembourg (11th overall) is the one pillar leader outside the top ten, first on Attract¹. Lower down, the United Arab Emirates (22nd overall) has one of the best scores on Attract¹. Japan (26th overall), France (19th) and Malta (21st) are among the top ten on Enable, Grow and Retain respectively, and the Czech Republic (23rd) shines in Vocational and Technical Skills and South Korea (24th) in Global Knowledge Skills¹.

Two patterns come with the table. The ability to retain talent varies much more between countries than the ability to attract it¹. And Global Knowledge Skills vary more than Vocational and Technical Skills, which points to high-level skills as what separates countries most¹. The Output pillar called Global Knowledge Skills here was relabelled Generalist Adaptive Skills in the 2025 edition, so a 2023 pillar rank and a 2025 pillar rank under similar names are not guaranteed to be like for like³. The pillar guide explains what each pillar holds.

What changed since the 2022 edition

The 2023 ranking was steadier than 2022. Just two countries shifted by ten or more places in 2023, where the 2022 count was 18¹. The report puts that down to COVID fading and to unchanged indicators, after a stretch of bigger swings¹.

Worked example (our arithmetic). The table subtracts each country’s 2023 rank from its 2022 rank, both read from the published tables of the 2023 report and the 2022 report^1,2. A positive number is a climb.

Of these 25 countries, 9 rose, 5 fell and 11 kept the same rank^1,2. The biggest fall in the group was Sweden, 5th to 9th, and the biggest climbs were three places each for the United Arab Emirates and South Korea^1,2. Reading the full tables side by side, the two countries that moved ten places or more were Jamaica, up 10, and Panama, down 23^1,2. The report does not name them; the arithmetic is ours.

Regions and income groups

Income decides most of this ranking. Of the 134 countries, 49 are high income, 34 upper-middle, 39 lower-middle and 12 low income¹. The 25th percentile of the high-income group, the country a quarter of the way up from the bottom of that group, outscores the best upper-middle-income country, China¹.

Worked example (our arithmetic). The best-ranked country in each income group and region, read from the rows of Table 1¹.

Northern America and Europe, the regions with the largest shares of high-income countries, are the two best performers, and Sub-Saharan Africa and Central and Southern Asia the two weakest¹. Uzbekistan, new in 2023, entered as the top lower-middle-income country¹. Gambia, 97th, has been in the third quartile in the five most recent editions, and Uganda is third-highest in the low-income group¹.

The BRICS countries in 2023

China, 40th, remains the leading member of the group of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa¹. It is the world leader on Employability, which measures how well people’s skills match the economy, but 91st on Attract¹. Russia is 52nd, around 50th in most editions, with a caution that some of the data predate the invasion of Ukraine¹. South Africa is 68th, held back by Vocational and Technical Skills, and Brazil 69th, in the upper half on Grow and Enable¹. India is the lowest of the five at 103rd¹. It rose until 2020 and has fallen in each of the three years since, which the report links to a slump in business sentiment that pulled Attract down to 132nd of 134, while Global Knowledge Skills remain its best area¹.

Full ranking: 26th to 134th

The rest of Table 1, as printed, from Japan in 26th to Chad in 134th¹.

Show every other country, from Japan to Chad

Rank	Country	Score	Income group	Region
26	Japan	61.65	High income	Eastern, Southeastern Asia and Oceania1
27	Portugal	61.60	High income	Europe1
28	Slovenia	60.62	High income	Europe1
29	Spain	60.36	High income	Europe1
30	Cyprus	59.46	High income	Northern Africa and Western Asia1
31	Lithuania	58.73	High income	Europe1
32	Italy	58.07	High income	Europe1
33	Latvia	56.78	High income	Europe1
34	Chile	55.48	High income	Latin America and the Caribbean1
35	Qatar	54.42	High income	Northern Africa and Western Asia1
36	Slovakia	54.24	High income	Europe1
37	Poland	54.10	High income	Europe1
38	Hungary	53.91	High income	Europe1
39	Greece	52.75	High income	Europe1
40	China	52.57	Upper-middle income	Eastern, Southeastern Asia and Oceania1
41	Brunei Darussalam	51.74	High income	Eastern, Southeastern Asia and Oceania1
42	Malaysia	51.35	Upper-middle income	Eastern, Southeastern Asia and Oceania1
43	Uruguay	51.29	High income	Latin America and the Caribbean1
44	Bahrain	50.44	High income	Northern Africa and Western Asia1
45	Croatia	50.38	High income	Europe1
46	Georgia	50.25	Upper-middle income	Northern Africa and Western Asia1
47	Costa Rica	50.20	Upper-middle income	Latin America and the Caribbean1
48	Saudi Arabia	49.86	High income	Northern Africa and Western Asia1
49	Bulgaria	49.05	Upper-middle income	Europe1
50	Montenegro	49.05	Upper-middle income	Europe1
51	Mauritius	48.77	Upper-middle income	Sub-Saharan Africa1
52	Russian Federation	48.72	Upper-middle income	Europe1
53	Serbia	48.56	Upper-middle income	Europe1
54	Romania	47.39	High income	Europe1
55	Armenia	46.67	Upper-middle income	Northern Africa and Western Asia1
56	Albania	46.61	Upper-middle income	Europe1
57	Belarus	46.41	Upper-middle income	Europe1
58	Azerbaijan	46.19	Upper-middle income	Northern Africa and Western Asia1
59	Oman	45.82	High income	Northern Africa and Western Asia1
60	Trinidad and Tobago	45.68	High income	Latin America and the Caribbean1
61	Argentina	45.60	Upper-middle income	Latin America and the Caribbean1
62	Uzbekistan	44.97	Lower-middle income	Central and Southern Asia1
63	Kuwait	44.83	High income	Northern Africa and Western Asia1
64	Ukraine	44.80	Lower-middle income	Europe1
65	Moldova, Rep.	44.22	Upper-middle income	Europe1
66	Jamaica	43.59	Upper-middle income	Latin America and the Caribbean1
67	Kazakhstan	43.01	Upper-middle income	Central and Southern Asia1
68	South Africa	43.01	Upper-middle income	Sub-Saharan Africa1
69	Brazil	42.67	Upper-middle income	Latin America and the Caribbean1
70	Jordan	42.56	Lower-middle income	Northern Africa and Western Asia1
71	North Macedonia	42.53	Upper-middle income	Europe1
72	Colombia	42.44	Upper-middle income	Latin America and the Caribbean1
73	Botswana	42.28	Upper-middle income	Sub-Saharan Africa1
74	Mexico	42.17	Upper-middle income	Latin America and the Caribbean1
75	Viet Nam	41.50	Lower-middle income	Eastern, Southeastern Asia and Oceania1
76	Mongolia	41.31	Lower-middle income	Eastern, Southeastern Asia and Oceania1
77	Lebanon	41.30	Lower-middle income	Northern Africa and Western Asia1
78	Cabo Verde	41.11	Lower-middle income	Sub-Saharan Africa1
79	Thailand	40.77	Upper-middle income	Eastern, Southeastern Asia and Oceania1
80	Indonesia	40.25	Upper-middle income	Eastern, Southeastern Asia and Oceania1
81	Türkiye	40.20	Upper-middle income	Northern Africa and Western Asia1
82	Peru	39.96	Upper-middle income	Latin America and the Caribbean1
83	Bosnia and Herzegovina	39.79	Upper-middle income	Europe1
84	Philippines	39.23	Lower-middle income	Eastern, Southeastern Asia and Oceania1
85	Ecuador	38.77	Upper-middle income	Latin America and the Caribbean1
86	Kyrgyzstan	38.58	Lower-middle income	Central and Southern Asia1
87	Panama	38.56	High income	Latin America and the Caribbean1
88	Egypt	37.67	Lower-middle income	Northern Africa and Western Asia1
89	Dominican Republic	37.51	Upper-middle income	Latin America and the Caribbean1
90	Sri Lanka	37.36	Lower-middle income	Central and Southern Asia1
91	Paraguay	37.36	Upper-middle income	Latin America and the Caribbean1
92	Tunisia	36.67	Lower-middle income	Northern Africa and Western Asia1
93	Namibia	36.67	Upper-middle income	Sub-Saharan Africa1
94	Bolivia, Plurinational St.	34.11	Lower-middle income	Latin America and the Caribbean1
95	Ghana	32.97	Lower-middle income	Sub-Saharan Africa1
96	El Salvador	32.74	Upper-middle income	Latin America and the Caribbean1
97	Gambia	32.48	Low income	Sub-Saharan Africa1
98	Kenya	31.66	Lower-middle income	Sub-Saharan Africa1
99	Morocco	31.53	Lower-middle income	Northern Africa and Western Asia1
100	Eswatini	30.87	Lower-middle income	Sub-Saharan Africa1
101	Lao PDR	30.83	Lower-middle income	Eastern, Southeastern Asia and Oceania1
102	Algeria	30.56	Lower-middle income	Northern Africa and Western Asia1
103	India	30.37	Lower-middle income	Central and Southern Asia1
104	Guatemala	30.16	Upper-middle income	Latin America and the Caribbean1
105	Honduras	29.71	Lower-middle income	Latin America and the Caribbean1
106	Cambodia	29.69	Lower-middle income	Eastern, Southeastern Asia and Oceania1
107	Nepal	29.37	Lower-middle income	Central and Southern Asia1
108	Zambia	29.32	Lower-middle income	Sub-Saharan Africa1
109	Pakistan	28.72	Lower-middle income	Central and Southern Asia1
110	Rwanda	28.71	Low income	Sub-Saharan Africa1
111	Côte d’Ivoire	28.67	Lower-middle income	Sub-Saharan Africa1
112	Senegal	28.62	Lower-middle income	Sub-Saharan Africa1
113	Benin	28.45	Lower-middle income	Sub-Saharan Africa1
114	Nigeria	28.12	Lower-middle income	Sub-Saharan Africa1
115	Nicaragua	28.05	Lower-middle income	Latin America and the Caribbean1
116	Iran, Islamic Rep.	28.03	Lower-middle income	Central and Southern Asia1
117	Zimbabwe	26.16	Lower-middle income	Sub-Saharan Africa1
118	Cameroon	25.91	Lower-middle income	Sub-Saharan Africa1
119	Uganda	25.71	Low income	Sub-Saharan Africa1
120	Malawi	25.68	Low income	Sub-Saharan Africa1
121	Tanzania, United Rep.	25.33	Lower-middle income	Sub-Saharan Africa1
122	Lesotho	24.96	Lower-middle income	Sub-Saharan Africa1
123	Bangladesh	24.91	Lower-middle income	Central and Southern Asia1
124	Burundi	23.46	Low income	Sub-Saharan Africa1
125	Madagascar	23.10	Low income	Sub-Saharan Africa1
126	Mauritania	23.09	Lower-middle income	Sub-Saharan Africa1
127	Mali	22.02	Low income	Sub-Saharan Africa1
128	Guinea	21.87	Lower-middle income	Sub-Saharan Africa1
129	Burkina Faso	20.55	Low income	Sub-Saharan Africa1
130	Angola	20.43	Lower-middle income	Sub-Saharan Africa1
131	Mozambique	20.40	Low income	Sub-Saharan Africa1
132	Ethiopia	19.77	Low income	Sub-Saharan Africa1
133	Congo, Dem. Rep.	17.57	Low income	Sub-Saharan Africa1
134	Chad	14.78	Low income	Sub-Saharan Africa1

How the 2023 ranking was built

The 2023 model has 69 indicators, the same number as 2022, though one indicator was removed and one added¹. The new one is vulnerable employment, a labour-focused addition to the Sustainability sub-pillar¹. The data set has 93.8% data coverage, and data for 56 indicators refer to 2022 or 2021, with only three indicators using data from 2018 or earlier¹. A country needs at least 80% data availability at the index level and 60% at the sub-pillar level to be included¹.

Input and Output are averaged separately, then combined. Enable, Attract, Grow and Retain are the four Input pillars; Vocational and Technical Skills and Global Knowledge Skills are the two Output pillars¹. Retention rests on sustainability and quality of life, and the report finds a strong positive correlation between a country’s quality of life and its talent performance¹. The methodology guide shows how those pieces become a single score, using the 2025 edition³.

Reading the 2023 ranking next to other editions

Three cautions keep a comparison honest. First, scores belong to their edition: a score that changes between editions might primarily reflect a methodological adjustment rather than new data¹. Switzerland’s 78.96 in 2023 sits beside 78.20 in 2022 and cannot be read as a climb on the same ruler^1,2. Second, the link between income and rank is tightening: the correlation between GDP per capita and GTCI score grew from 0.76 in 2013 to 0.85 in 2023, so a strong rank partly restates national wealth¹. Third, the 2025 edition moved to a 77-indicator model against 69 here, so a rank change between 2023 and 2025 mixes performance with design³.

The sturdier habit is to quote the edition and the rank together, as in “the United States ranked 3rd in the 2023 edition”¹, and to compare ranks across editions only with that warning. For the long view, every edition from 2013 to 2023 sits in one table, who led each edition follows the margins, and the 2025 results page has the newer table, with the pause in 2024 explained there³.