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NCBNational Capability Benchmark
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Challenge the benchmark

Choose a score and give the benchmark a specific reason to reconsider it.

When you submit, the form attaches the current score and confidence for the country and capability you chose.

Submissions are public and start as awaiting review. A maintainer can add a response and signature after review.

Compare countries side by side

A score is meaningful only in comparison with other countries. This page puts one reference country beside up to three others on the same nine axes, then shows the indicator behind each score.

The first country is the reference: it keeps the filled shape and every other country is shown as a distance from it. The selection is part of the address, so /compare/BRA-IDN-ZAF is a comparison you can send to someone. There is no composite score or ranking.

Countries in this comparison

BrazilreferenceMexico

Each country compared with the reference

The reference country appears as an outline behind each comparison card. The nine axes stay in the same order, so each card shows how that country differs from the reference.

  • Usable or good evidence
  • Thin evidence, hollow point. The dashes open further as confidence falls.
  • The point still sits at the score, because confidence never moves it.

A score from 0 to 100 is a position inside the frame that all the benchmark countries set: zero is the weakest on a dimension and 100 is the strongest. A score of 10 puts a country near the floor of that frame and does not mean 10 percent of a capability.

Capability scores side by side

Scores run from 0 to 100 against all countries in the comparison frame, so a 10-point gap has the same meaning in every row. The number under each score is the distance from the reference.

Score

  • weakNear the floor of the frame. Check the confidence before reading anything into it.0 to 25
  • below middleIn the lower half of the frame.25 to 50
  • above middleIn the upper half of the frame.50 to 75
  • strongNear the top of the frame on this dimension.75 and above
Dimension scores for Brazil, Mexico
CapabilityBrazilreferenceMexico
Anticipation44.649.9+5.3
Agency58.064.3+6.3
Coordination89.174.3-14.8
Trust53.441.2-12.2
Learning36.642.5+5.9
Experimentation28.525.2-3.3
Adaptability64.565.4+0.9
Building37.754.9+17.2
Shared Purpose30.645.2+14.6

Confidence in each score

Confidence combines coverage, recency, and source quality. It never changes the score, and a country can lead a row with thinner evidence than the country beside it.

Confidence

  • very thin0.00 to 0.25

    The score rests on one or two indicators. Do not quote it on its own.

  • thin0.25 to 0.45

    A minority of indicators, or evidence old enough to have moved. Read with care.

  • usable0.45 to 0.65

    Enough evidence to compare countries, with known holes.

  • good0.65 and above

    Most indicators observed, recent, from official or intergovernmental sources.

Confidence for Brazil, Mexico
CapabilityBrazilreferenceMexico
Anticipation0.460.46
Agency0.560.56
Coordination0.370.37
Trust0.500.49
Learning0.550.54
Experimentation0.530.53
Adaptability0.620.46
Building0.570.57
Shared Purpose0.430.43

Which way each country is moving

A trend uses only indicators observed at both ends of the span, so it may cover fewer indicators than the score. The number of matched indicators appears beside each change, and countries can use different sets in the same row.

Trend for Brazil, Mexico
CapabilityBrazilreferenceMexico
Anticipation+7.6(2)+10.7(2)
Agencyno trendno trend
Coordinationno trendno trend
Trustno trendno trend
Learningno trendno trend
Experimentation+5.1(3)+0.4(3)
Adaptabilityno trendno trend
Building-2.4(3)+2.5(3)
Shared Purpose+6.8(2)+8.6(2)

The indicators behind those rows

The chip shows the indicator normalized to the 0 to 100 frame, so higher always means better, regardless of the original unit. The published value and year appear below it. A row without a dataset is a declared gap and lowers confidence for every country.

Anticipation

How capable is the country of identifying and preparing for emerging change?

Anticipation indicators for Brazil, Mexico
IndicatorUnitBrazilreferenceMexico
Scientific articlesarticles per million people10.558,292.04 (2023)5.518,981.87 (2023)
Statistical performanceindex 0-10078.682.308 (2024)94.290.95 (2024)
Government foresight capacityindex 0-100no datasetno dataset
Long-horizon research commitments% of new grantsno datasetno dataset

Agency

How able are individuals and organizations to turn an intention into action?

Agency indicators for Brazil, Mexico
IndicatorUnitBrazilreferenceMexico
New business densityper 1,000 aged 15-6437.56.667 (2024)5.10.954 (2024)
Time to start a businessdays75.616.62 (2019)88.08.415 (2019)
Procedures to start a businesscount49.410.61 (2019)64.17.83 (2019)
Adults doing digital tasks% of adultsno datasetno dataset
Perceived control over lifemean 1-1069.67.5 (2022)100.08.2 (2022)

Coordination

How effectively can independent actors organize around shared objectives?

Coordination indicators for Brazil, Mexico
IndicatorUnitBrazilreferenceMexico
Government effectivenessz-score -2.5 to 2.5retiredretired
Regulatory qualityz-score -2.5 to 2.5retiredretired
Logistics performanceindex 1-5retiredretired
Border compliance time to exporthours81.649.043 (2019)92.420.389 (2019)
Budget execution fidelitypercentage points from approved budget98.3100.828 (2021)84.7107.199 (2021)
University-industry collaborationindex 0-100no datasetno dataset
Civil society strengthindex 0-187.30.865 (2025)45.70.49 (2025)
Public-private collaborationindex 0-100no datasetno dataset

Trust

How much cooperation is possible beyond immediate personal networks?

Trust indicators for Brazil, Mexico
IndicatorUnitBrazilreferenceMexico
Rule of lawz-score -2.5 to 2.5retiredretired
Control of corruptionz-score -2.5 to 2.5retiredretired
Time to enforce a contractdays58.8801.2 (2019)88.6340.65 (2019)
Bribery incidence% of firms80.59.832 (2025)68.715.817 (2023)
Government compliance with the courtsscale 0-4 (never to always)99.63.785 (2025)29.31.162 (2025)
Intentional homicide rateper 100,000 peopleretiredretired
Generalised interpersonal trust% agreeing6.16.5 (2022)11.710.5 (2022)
Trust in public institutions% expressing confidenceno datasetno dataset
Cooperation beyond the in-group% expressing trust22.122.7 (2022)7.913.1 (2022)
Court case clearance rate% of incoming casesno datasetno dataset

Learning

How effectively does the country acquire, distribute, and update knowledge?

Learning indicators for Brazil, Mexico
IndicatorUnitBrazilreferenceMexico
Human Capital Indexindex 0-141.60.551 (2020)52.50.613 (2020)
Firms offering formal training% of firms46.738.519 (2025)45.837.835 (2023)
Adult learning participation% of adultsno datasetno dataset
Research citation impactratio to world average21.60.596 (2021)29.10.734 (2021)

Experimentation

How easily can new approaches be attempted, tested, abandoned, and improved?

Experimentation indicators for Brazil, Mexico
IndicatorUnitBrazilreferenceMexico
Resident patent applicationsper million people12.74,666 (2021)4.91,117 (2021)
Resident trademark applicationsper million people26.6346,752 (2021)17.6142,012 (2021)
Resident industrial design applicationsper million people9.34,520 (2021)4.01,225 (2021)
New public software repositoriesper million people32.33,925,512 (2026)12.3944,479 (2026)
Venture dealsper million peopleno datasetno dataset
Early-stage entrepreneurial activity% aged 18-6450.719.4 (2025)50.719.4 (2025)
Tolerance of entrepreneurial failure% not deterred39.651.8 (2025)61.859.6 (2025)
Firms through regulatory sandboxesfirms per million peopleno datasetno dataset
University spinoutsper million peopleno datasetno dataset
Business share of R&D% of R&Dretiredretired

Adaptability

How effectively can the system respond when circumstances change?

Adaptability indicators for Brazil, Mexico
IndicatorUnitBrazilreferenceMexico
Unemployment rate% of labour force73.35.97 (2025)90.32.673 (2025)
Long-term unemployment share% of unemployed75.030.2 (2025)no data
Export diversificationindex 0-1, lower = more diversified84.80.179 (2025)87.90.154 (2025)
New export products% of products not exported competitively at the start24.82.29 (2024)18.01.69 (2024)
Disaster preparedness and recoveryindex 0-100no datasetno dataset
Institutional responsivenessindex 0-100no datasetno dataset

Building

How capable is the country of turning plans and knowledge into functioning systems?

Building indicators for Brazil, Mexico
IndicatorUnitBrazilreferenceMexico
Manufacturing value added% of GDP32.211.772 (2025)57.719.976 (2025)
High-technology exports% of manufactured exports18.111.11 (2024)31.619.304 (2024)
Logistics infrastructure qualityindex 1-5retiredretired
Electricity connection speedscore 0-10052.051.961 (2019)64.264.157 (2019)
Economic fitnessindex48.51.757 (2024)66.22.4 (2024)
Large project delivery% overrunno datasetno dataset
Firm scale-up rate% of firmsno datasetno dataset

Shared Purpose

To what extent can people imagine themselves as participants in a common project?

Shared Purpose indicators for Brazil, Mexico
IndicatorUnitBrazilreferenceMexico
Voice and accountabilityz-score -2.5 to 2.5retiredretired
Tax revenue% of GDP42.515.41 (2024)40.814.824 (2024)
Income inequalityGini 0-10024.950.3 (2024)46.742.6 (2024)
Sense of national belonging% expressing belongingno datasetno dataset
Volunteering% of adultsno datasetno dataset
Political polarisationindex 0-4no datasetno dataset
Civic participation% mentioning24.39.7 (2022)48.018.7 (2022)