S. Korea's global competitiveness falls 7 notches to 27th in 2025: report
South Korea's global competitiveness ranking dropped seven notches in 2025, largely due to declines in corporate efficiency and infrastructure, a report showed Tuesday, Yonhap reports.
According to the finance ministry, the latest report from the International Institute for Management Development (IMD) showed South Korea ranked 27th among 69 countries surveyed, down from a record high 20th place last year.
The IMD, a Switzerland-based business school, has published its annual World Competitiveness Ranking since 1989, evaluating countries based on four key indicators: economic performance, government efficiency, corporate efficiency and infrastructure.
In this year's breakdown, South Korea ranked 44th in corporate efficiency, a sharp decline of 21 notches from the previous year. Its ranking in infrastructure also fell by 10 spots to 21st.
However, the country showed improvements in other areas. Its economic performance ranking rose to 11th from 16th last year, and its position in government efficiency climbed eight notches to 31st.
Switzerland topped the overall 2025 list, followed by Singapore, Hong Kong, Denmark and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), according to the report.
Earlier, it was reported that the average cost of wedding services in South Korea was recorded at around 21 million won (US$15,262), with prices significantly higher in the capital region.