UNCTAD · Productive Capacities Index
Productive Capacities Index by country
How much does a country have to produce goods and services with — skills, energy, transport, institutions and firms?
Denmark placed first of the 195 countries compared in 2022, at 71.02, and Somalia last, at 17.80. In the middle country the figure was 46.67. Among the 188 countries measured in every edition since 2000, the middle one moved from 35.86 to 46.68.
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Productive Capacities Index · 2022
Context statistic
Highest of 195Denmark
71.02012022 · position · derived
Who leads
The three countries at the highest end of 195 compared, the three at the other end, and the first on each continent.
1Photo: User:Aconcagua · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
2Photo: Stefano Brivio · CC BY 2.0, greyscale
3Photo: Traveler100 · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
Lowest in 2022
- 195
Somalia17.80 - 194
South Sudan19.00 - 193
Chad19.94
Positions out of 195. Where a country sits says how it compares with the others measured, and nothing about why.
Highest on each continent
02Every measured country
Productive Capacities Index on a map
Each country is shaded by its value, in five groups holding the same number of countries. Hover a country for its value, or select it to open its profile. Below the map, each continent’s middle country.
Darker is a higher value — the better end.
- 17.80–33.00
- 33.52–44.19
- 44.20–49.71
- 50.14–58.27
- 58.45–71.02
- No reading in 2022
- Europe
59.68
the middle country, of 41 measured · 49 members
Denmark71.02
Albania43.86Highest and lowest reading in Europe.
- Americas
48.07
the middle country, of 38 measured · 48 members
United States70.49
Haiti25.62Highest and lowest reading in Americas.
- Asia
47.33
the middle country, of 49 measured · 52 members
United Arab Emirates65.98
Yemen21.81Highest and lowest reading in Asia.
- Oceania
47.01
the middle country, of 13 measured · 21 members
Australia69.73
Papua New Guinea31.00Highest and lowest reading in Oceania.
- Africa
30.98
the middle country, of 54 measured · 55 members
Mauritius54.26Somalia17.80Highest and lowest reading in Africa.
- Every region
22 sub-regions, highest middle country first
- Western Europe
65.14
the middle country, of 7 measured · 9 members
Netherlands69.76
Switzerland63.48Highest and lowest reading in Western Europe.
- Northern Europe
64.66
the middle country, of 10 measured · 13 members
Denmark71.02
Lithuania57.30Highest and lowest reading in Northern Europe.
- Eastern Asia
61.52
the middle country, of 6 measured · 8 members
South Korea65.34
Mongolia48.74Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Asia.
- Southern Europe
56.58
the middle country, of 14 measured · 17 members
Portugal61.82Albania43.86Highest and lowest reading in Southern Europe.
- Eastern Europe
54.04
the middle country, of 10 measured · 10 members
Czechia61.51
Ukraine46.37Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Europe.
- Western Asia
52.99
the middle country, of 18 measured · 19 members
United Arab Emirates65.98Yemen21.81Highest and lowest reading in Western Asia.
- Caribbean
49.71
the middle country, of 15 measured · 24 members
Curaçao59.23Haiti25.62Highest and lowest reading in Caribbean.
- South America
46.34
the middle country, of 12 measured · 12 members
Chile58.94
Venezuela31.21Highest and lowest reading in South America.
- Central America
46.12
the middle country, of 8 measured · 8 members
Panama52.93
Honduras37.34Highest and lowest reading in Central America.
- South-eastern Asia
45.79
the middle country, of 11 measured · 11 members
Singapore62.24
Myanmar31.39Highest and lowest reading in South-eastern Asia.
- Southern Africa
43.27
the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members
South Africa52.20
Eswatini38.54Highest and lowest reading in Southern Africa.
- Southern Asia
42.42
the middle country, of 9 measured · 9 members
Maldives51.38
Afghanistan25.75Highest and lowest reading in Southern Asia.
- Central Asia
42.32
the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members
Kazakhstan49.27
Tajikistan33.79Highest and lowest reading in Central Asia.
- Northern Africa
42.15
the middle country, of 6 measured · 6 members
Tunisia47.18
Sudan25.34Highest and lowest reading in Northern Africa.
- Western Africa
30.44
the middle country, of 16 measured · 16 members
Cabo Verde50.56
Niger20.00Highest and lowest reading in Western Africa.
- Eastern Africa
28.51
the middle country, of 18 measured · 19 members
Mauritius54.26Somalia17.80Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Africa.
- Middle Africa
28.44
the middle country, of 9 measured · 9 members
São Tomé and Príncipe40.87Chad19.94Highest and lowest reading in Middle Africa.
- Australia and New Zealand
2 of 2 measured — too few for a middle: Australia, New Zealand.
Australia69.73
New Zealand67.56Highest and lowest reading in Australia and New Zealand.
- Melanesia
4 of 5 measured — too few for a middle: Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu.
Fiji47.63Papua New Guinea31.00Highest and lowest reading in Melanesia.
- Micronesia
4 of 7 measured — too few for a middle: Guam, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Palau.
Palau51.58
Kiribati41.15Highest and lowest reading in Micronesia.
- Northern America
3 of 4 measured — too few for a middle: Bermuda, Canada, United States.
United States70.49
Bermuda48.59Highest and lowest reading in Northern America.
- Polynesia
3 of 7 measured — too few for a middle: Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu.
Tuvalu52.73
Samoa44.89Highest and lowest reading in Polynesia.
03The whole field at once
The spread
195 countries, one dot each, on one scale — further right is a higher value. Half the countries are above 46.67; a quarter are above 56.08, and a quarter below 37.26. The bar in each row marks that continent’s middle country.
04All 195 ever measured
Every country
In order, highest value first. “=” marks a position shared with another country. UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) ranks nobody on this measure; the position is derived here by ordering the published values. The index is a geometric average, so a country cannot make up for a very weak category with a strong one. Each of the eight categories is shown beside the headline. A few small economies carry UNCTAD's flag that most of their inputs were imputed.
Showing 25 of 195 countries
Values for 2022. The change column compares 2022 with 2021 only; the sparkline covers the recent editions.
052000–2022 · 23 reference years
Over time
Each point is one year from 2000 to 2022. UNCTAD's file also carries 2023 and 2024, but its own flags show those years are mostly modelled rather than measured, so they are not shown here.
- the middle country
- the middle half of countries
- the middle of the 188 countries measured every time
- each continent’s middle country
The same, year by year
| Year | Countries | Middle country | Middle half | Measured every time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 195 | 46.67 | 37.26 – 56.08 | 46.68 |
| 2021 | 195 | 46.31 | 36.30 – 55.54 | 46.40 |
| 2020 | 195 | 46.16 | 35.55 – 55.21 | 46.16 |
| 2019 | 195 | 46.73 | 36.03 – 55.75 | 46.94 |
| 2018 | 195 | 46.22 | 35.82 – 55.42 | 46.48 |
| 2017 | 195 | 46.17 | 35.29 – 54.92 | 46.26 |
| 2016 | 195 | 45.72 | 35.14 – 54.83 | 45.73 |
| 2015 | 195 | 45.17 | 34.21 – 54.36 | 45.26 |
| 2014 | 195 | 44.82 | 33.82 – 53.97 | 45.11 |
| 2013 | 195 | 44.61 | 32.80 – 53.63 | 44.64 |
| 2012 | 195 | 44.61 | 31.69 – 53.14 | 44.64 |
| 2011 | 193 | 43.99 | 31.85 – 52.91 | 43.96 |
| 2010 | 192 | 43.62 | 30.53 – 52.12 | 43.62 |
| 2009 | 192 | 43.10 | 30.42 – 52.26 | 43.10 |
| 2008 | 192 | 42.63 | 29.21 – 52.35 | 42.63 |
| 2007 | 190 | 41.63 | 28.12 – 51.81 | 41.75 |
| 2006 | 190 | 40.80 | 27.50 – 50.95 | 40.88 |
| 2005 | 190 | 39.68 | 26.49 – 50.66 | 39.77 |
| 2004 | 190 | 38.21 | 25.78 – 49.83 | 38.48 |
| 2003 | 190 | 37.76 | 25.55 – 49.06 | 37.89 |
| 2002 | 188 | 37.31 | 25.63 – 48.79 | 37.31 |
| 2001 | 188 | 36.74 | 25.05 – 47.89 | 36.74 |
| 2000 | 188 | 35.86 | 24.76 – 47.40 | 35.86 |
062021 → 2022
Who rose and fell
The biggest changes in value between the two newest editions — reference years recalculated in one report, not two separate publications. Places are shown second, because they also move when other countries do.
Improved most
before → after
Montenegro48.80 → 51.75 · 84th → 68th+2.95
Cambodia35.20 → 38.13 · 148th → 141st+2.93
Estonia59.09 → 61.83 · 35th → 26th+2.74
Bulgaria51.53 → 54.06 · 67th → 60th+2.53
Madagascar22.93 → 25.27 · 188th → 186th+2.34
Declined most
before → after
Russia52.22 → 49.31 · 64th → 81st−2.91
Hungary61.04 → 58.79 · 29th → 37th−2.25
Norway66.80 → 64.77 · 9th → 15th−2.03- Ukraine48.28 → 46.37 · 90th → 100th−1.91
Azerbaijan46.16 → 44.69 · 100th → 115th−1.47
195 countries were measured in both 2021 and 2022.
07Across every edition
Productive Capacities Index in records
The extremes of the statistic. A record reached by more than one country names none of them.
Highest reading on record
71.56
Productive Capacities Index (1–100)
Lowest reading on record
9.59
Productive Capacities Index (1–100)
Biggest improvement between editions
+11.60
31.69 → 43.29
Biggest decline between editions
−4.63
39.82 → 35.19
Most improved since first measured
+22.81
38.77 → 61.58
At the top most often
16 of 23
editions, alone at the first-listed end
08The parts of the index
Inside the number
UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) publishes the parts the headline is built from. Each part’s highest and lowest country, and its middle value.
| Part | Highest | Lowest | Middle country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Human capital195 countries | South Korea98.30 | Somalia11.59 | 43.69 |
| Natural capital195 countries |  Sierra Leone73.68 |  Cayman Islands2.62 | 35.69 |
| Energy195 countries | Singapore100.00 | Niger7.73 | 57.49 |
| Transport195 countries |  Luxembourg95.58 | Niger3.24 | 40.08 |
| Information and communication technology195 countries |  Hong Kong97.76 | South Sudan13.94 | 56.17 |
| Institutions195 countries | Denmark96.19 | South Sudan8.82 | 52.60 |
| Private sector195 countries | Singapore98.62 | South Sudan18.10 | 47.84 |
| Structural change195 countries | United States97.25 |  Guinea-Bissau14.97 | 54.09 |
09The measure
About Productive Capacities Index
UNCTAD's Productive Capacities Index measures what a country has to produce goods and services with — its people's skills and health, natural resources, energy, transport and ICT, institutions, private sector and how far its economy has shifted toward higher-value activities — combined into one score from 1 to 100.
What the number is: Productive Capacities Index (1–100).
10Where it fits
Connections
Its part in the Country Index, the statistics whose values line up most closely with it across countries, and others on the same subject.
In the Country Index
Context, with no vote
This statistic is published in full under Economy & Innovation and Development & Human Capital, but does not help decide any Country Index standing.
Economy & InnovationDevelopment & Human CapitalWhich statistics vote, and why
Moves with
Where Productive Capacities Index is higher, these tend to be higher too.
- Human Development IndexKeyUNDP Human Development Report Office · 189 countries in commonρ 0.95
- GNI per Capita (PPP)World Bank Group · 101 countries in commonρ 0.94
- Frontier Technology Readiness IndexUNCTAD · 170 countries in commonρ 0.93
Moves against
Where Productive Capacities Index is higher, these tend to be lower.
- Gender Inequality IndexUNDP Human Development Report Office · 172 countries in commonρ −0.92
- Informal Employment RateILO · 95 countries in commonρ −0.90
- Stillbirth RateUN IGME · 188 countries in commonρ −0.89
Rank correlation (ρ, from −1 to 1) across countries, on each statistic’s newest edition, out of 384 statistics sharing at least 80 countries with this one. Two statistics that move together do not cause each other.
11Keep reading
Explore further
The countries at either end
12Questions
Productive Capacities Index: questions and answers
Which country has the highest Productive Capacities Index?
Denmark, at 71.02, among the 195 countries compared in 2022.
Which country has the lowest Productive Capacities Index?
Somalia, at 17.80, among the 195 countries compared in 2022.
How many countries does the Productive Capacities Index cover?
195 in 2022. The number measured varies from 188 to 195 between editions.
What is the world average Productive Capacities Index?
This site does not calculate a world average, which would depend on how countries are weighted. In the middle country of the 195 compared in 2022, the figure was 46.67.
Is this UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD)’s own ranking?
No. UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) publishes the values but ranks nobody; the position on this page is derived by Nations Inquiry by ordering the published values, and equal values share a position.
How often is the Productive Capacities Index published?
This site holds 23 reference years, 2000–2022, all recalculated in UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD)’s 2025 report on one method — not 23 separate publications.
Where does the data come from, and can I download it?
From UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD), under CC BY 3.0 IGO. Read from UNCTAD's own US.PCI bulk file on UNCTADstat. UNCTAD's regional and group values are left out, and years in which UNCTAD flags most economies as imputed are not published. UNCTAD ranks nobody on it; the position is derived by this site. Every edition is on this site’s Datasets pages as a full table, and downloads as a CSV file with every value unrounded.
13Method
Sources, method and citation
Source
Productive Capacities Index — UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
Read from UNCTAD's own US.PCI bulk file on UNCTADstat. UNCTAD's regional and group values are left out, and years in which UNCTAD flags most economies as imputed are not published. UNCTAD ranks nobody on it; the position is derived by this site.
Newest edition
Report year 2022Data year 2022
Cite the source as: UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD). Productive capacities index, annual (third generation). Geneva: UNCTAD Data Hub.
Licence: CC BY 3.0 IGO, checked 2026-09-29.
How this page reads the numbers
- UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) ranks nobody on this measure. The position is derived by Nations Inquiry by ordering the published values; equal values share a position.
- Which end is better follows the publisher’s own reading of the measure.
- A country is named at an end only when it holds that value alone. Where several share it, the page says how many and names none first.
- Values are stored exactly as published and trimmed only for display. “The middle country” is the median of the countries measured, not a world average.
The file itself, column by column — where it came from, what each column holds, and every edition as a CSV — is on its dataset page.
Photographs
The countries at the top of this statistic, from their profiles: Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale, each used under the licence named.
- Denmark — User:Aconcagua, CC BY-SA 3.0
- United States — Stefano Brivio, CC BY 2.0
- Netherlands — Traveler100, CC BY-SA 3.0
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). Productive Capacities Index by country: Productive Capacities Index, data from UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD). https://nationsinquiry.com/statistics/productive-capacities-index