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
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
| Capability | South Africareference | Brazil | India |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anticipation | 42.8 | 44.6+1.8 | 34.5-8.3 |
| Agency | 57.8 | 58.0+0.2 | 46.0-11.8 |
| Coordination | 79.0 | 89.1+10.1 | 82.0+3.0 |
| Trust | 83.5 | 53.4-30.1 | 45.3-38.2 |
| Learning | 32.3 | 36.6+4.3 | 21.7-10.6 |
| Experimentation | 17.0 | 28.5+11.5 | 12.0-5.0 |
| Adaptability | 38.3 | 64.5+26.2 | 82.4+44.1 |
| Building | 29.4 | 37.7+8.3 | 62.1+32.7 |
| Shared Purpose | 43.4 | 30.6-12.8 | 63.2+19.8 |
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 Do not quote it on its own.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.
| Capability | South Africareference | Brazil | India |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anticipation | 0.46 | 0.46 | 0.46 |
| Agency | 0.41 | 0.56 | 0.56 |
| Coordination | 0.39 | 0.37 | 0.41 |
| Trust | 0.26 | 0.50 | 0.50 |
| Learning | 0.48 | 0.55 | 0.55 |
| Experimentation | 0.53 | 0.53 | 0.53 |
| Adaptability | 0.62 | 0.62 | 0.46 |
| Building | 0.57 | 0.57 | 0.57 |
| Shared Purpose | 0.29 | 0.43 | 0.38 |
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.
| Capability | South Africareference | Brazil | India |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anticipation | +5.0(2) | +7.6(2) | +8.7(2) |
| Agency | no trend | no trend | no trend |
| Coordination | no trend | no trend | no trend |
| Trust | no trend | no trend | no trend |
| Learning | no trend | no trend | no trend |
| Experimentation | +1.9(3) | +5.1(3) | +3.1(3) |
| Adaptability | no trend | no trend | no trend |
| Building | -1.9(3) | -2.4(3) | +7.9(3) |
| Shared Purpose | +8.6(2) | +6.8(2) | -1.4(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?
| Indicator | Unit | South Africareference | Brazil | India |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scientific articles | articles per million people | 8.814,949.03 (2023) | 10.558,292.04 (2023) | 6.0228,174.31 (2023) |
| Statistical performance | index 0-100 | 76.881.288 (2024) | 78.682.308 (2024) | 63.173.718 (2024) |
| Government foresight capacity | index 0-100 | no dataset | no dataset | no dataset |
| Long-horizon research commitments | % of new grants | no dataset | no dataset | no dataset |
Agency
How able are individuals and organizations to turn an intention into action?
| Indicator | Unit | South Africareference | Brazil | India |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New business density | per 1,000 aged 15-64 | 64.811.458 (2024) | 37.56.667 (2024) | 0.60.175 (2024) |
| Time to start a business | days | 40.240 (2019) | 75.616.62 (2019) | 74.317.47 (2019) |
| Procedures to start a business | count | 68.47 (2019) | 49.410.61 (2019) | 52.610 (2019) |
| Adults doing digital tasks | % of adults | no dataset | no dataset | no dataset |
| Perceived control over life | mean 1-10 | no data | 69.67.5 (2022) | 56.57.2 (2022) |
Coordination
How effectively can independent actors organize around shared objectives?
| Indicator | Unit | South Africareference | Brazil | India |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Government effectiveness | z-score -2.5 to 2.5 | retired | retired | retired |
| Regulatory quality | z-score -2.5 to 2.5 | retired | retired | retired |
| Logistics performance | index 1-5 | retired | retired | retired |
| Border compliance time to export | hours | 65.692 (2019) | 81.649.043 (2019) | 80.552.12 (2019) |
| Budget execution fidelity | percentage points from approved budget | 93.9102.9 (2022) | 98.3100.828 (2021) | 97.298.674 (2024) |
| University-industry collaboration | index 0-100 | no dataset | no dataset | no dataset |
| Civil society strength | index 0-1 | 77.40.776 (2025) | 87.30.865 (2025) | 68.30.694 (2025) |
| Public-private collaboration | index 0-100 | no dataset | no dataset | no dataset |
Trust
How much cooperation is possible beyond immediate personal networks?
| Indicator | Unit | South Africareference | Brazil | India |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rule of law | z-score -2.5 to 2.5 | retired | retired | retired |
| Control of corruption | z-score -2.5 to 2.5 | retired | retired | retired |
| Time to enforce a contract | days | 71.8600 (2019) | 58.8801.2 (2019) | 17.11,445 (2019) |
| Bribery incidence | % of firms | 97.01.538 (2020) | 80.59.832 (2025) | 82.78.743 (2025) |
| Government compliance with the courts | scale 0-4 (never to always) | 81.73.116 (2025) | 99.63.785 (2025) | 68.22.613 (2025) |
| Intentional homicide rate | per 100,000 people | retired | retired | retired |
| Generalised interpersonal trust | % agreeing | no data | 6.16.5 (2022) | 20.616.9 (2022) |
| Trust in public institutions | % expressing confidence | no dataset | no dataset | no dataset |
| Cooperation beyond the in-group | % expressing trust | no data | 22.122.7 (2022) | 37.933.4 (2022) |
| Court case clearance rate | % of incoming cases | no dataset | no dataset | no dataset |
Learning
How effectively does the country acquire, distribute, and update knowledge?
| Indicator | Unit | South Africareference | Brazil | India |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Human Capital Index | index 0-1 | 19.10.425 (2020) | 41.60.551 (2020) | 31.20.494 (2020) |
| Firms offering formal training | % of firms | 6.67.896 (2020) | 46.738.519 (2025) | 0.02.882 (2025) |
| Adult learning participation | % of adults | no dataset | no dataset | no dataset |
| Research citation impact | ratio to world average | 71.11.504 (2021) | 21.60.596 (2021) | 33.70.818 (2021) |
Experimentation
How easily can new approaches be attempted, tested, abandoned, and improved?
| Indicator | Unit | South Africareference | Brazil | India |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resident patent applications | per million people | 16.11,804 (2021) | 12.74,666 (2021) | 10.426,267 (2021) |
| Resident trademark applications | per million people | 6.525,786 (2021) | 26.6346,752 (2021) | 4.8435,581 (2021) |
| Resident industrial design applications | per million people | 4.9728 (2021) | 9.34,520 (2021) | 5.217,497 (2021) |
| New public software repositories | per million people | 11.1417,406 (2026) | 32.33,925,512 (2026) | 20.917,543,509 (2026) |
| Venture deals | per million people | no dataset | no dataset | no dataset |
| Early-stage entrepreneurial activity | % aged 18-64 | 27.614.7 (2025) | 50.719.4 (2025) | 15.812.3 (2025) |
| Tolerance of entrepreneurial failure | % not deterred | 35.650.4 (2025) | 39.651.8 (2025) | 15.143.2 (2025) |
| Firms through regulatory sandboxes | firms per million people | no dataset | no dataset | no dataset |
| University spinouts | per million people | no dataset | no dataset | no dataset |
| Business share of R&D | % of R&D | retired | retired | retired |
Adaptability
How effectively can the system respond when circumstances change?
| Indicator | Unit | South Africareference | Brazil | India |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | % of labour force | 0.032.391 (2025) | 73.35.97 (2025) | 82.34.219 (2025) |
| Long-term unemployment share | % of unemployed | 23.776.5 (2024) | 75.030.2 (2025) | no data |
| Export diversification | index 0-1, lower = more diversified | 88.10.153 (2025) | 84.80.179 (2025) | 90.90.13 (2025) |
| New export products | % of products not exported competitively at the start | 41.33.75 (2024) | 24.82.29 (2024) | 73.86.64 (2024) |
| Disaster preparedness and recovery | index 0-100 | no dataset | no dataset | no dataset |
| Institutional responsiveness | index 0-100 | no dataset | no dataset | no dataset |
Building
How capable is the country of turning plans and knowledge into functioning systems?
| Indicator | Unit | South Africareference | Brazil | India |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing value added | % of GDP | 33.712.255 (2025) | 32.211.772 (2025) | 37.513.471 (2025) |
| High-technology exports | % of manufactured exports | 9.25.709 (2024) | 18.111.11 (2024) | 30.418.572 (2024) |
| Logistics infrastructure quality | index 1-5 | retired | retired | retired |
| Electricity connection speed | score 0-100 | 60.460.435 (2019) | 52.051.961 (2019) | 84.884.848 (2019) |
| Economic fitness | index | 14.10.511 (2024) | 48.51.757 (2024) | 95.93.477 (2024) |
| Large project delivery | % overrun | no dataset | no dataset | no dataset |
| Firm scale-up rate | % of firms | no dataset | no dataset | no dataset |
Shared Purpose
To what extent can people imagine themselves as participants in a common project?
| Indicator | Unit | South Africareference | Brazil | India |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voice and accountability | z-score -2.5 to 2.5 | retired | retired | retired |
| Tax revenue | % of GDP | 72.625.878 (2024) | 42.515.41 (2024) | 18.16.934 (2022) |
| Income inequality | Gini 0-100 | 14.254.1 (2022) | 24.950.3 (2024) | 95.225.5 (2022) |
| Sense of national belonging | % expressing belonging | no dataset | no dataset | no dataset |
| Volunteering | % of adults | no dataset | no dataset | no dataset |
| Political polarisation | index 0-4 | no dataset | no dataset | no dataset |
| Civic participation | % mentioning | no data | 24.39.7 (2022) | 76.329.4 (2022) |