Singapore has topped the 2025 Global Talent Competitiveness Index for the first time, driven by strong education systems, effective governance, and a proactive approach to maintaining a workforce that is adaptable and ready to innovate in the age of artificial intelligence.
The index, now in its eleventh edition, is published by INSEAD Business School in partnership with the Portolance Institute in Washington, D.C., and measures countries’ ability to develop, attract, and retain talent across income levels. This year, it covers 135 economies worldwide, analyzing 77 indicators, including soft skills and talent concentration in the field of artificial intelligence, across six key pillars.
The report, titled “Resilience in an Age of Disruption,” comes at a time when the world is experiencing rapid technological changes, geopolitical tensions, and profound social transformations, making “reliable indicators of talent more important than ever,” according to Rafael Escalona Reynoso, CEO of the Portolance Institute.
Lily Fung, Dean of Research and Innovation at INSEAD, said: “Historians may have a deeper perspective, but it seems we are living through a period of extreme turmoil and anxiety. Geopolitical uncertainty poses enormous challenges to the resilience of global trade and markets, while artificial intelligence offers incredible opportunities to enhance human capabilities—along with unpredictable risks.”
According to the report, the top 10 countries in the 2025 Global Talent Competitiveness Index are:
1. Singapore
2. Switzerland
3. Denmark
4. Finland
5. Sweden
6. Netherlands
7. Norway
8. Luxembourg
9. United States
10. Australia
Switzerland falls out of the top spot for the first time: Switzerland has dropped from first place for the first time in the index’s history, despite ranking among the top five in several criteria, such as internet access in schools (first), government effectiveness (second), and AI skills migration (fourth).
High-income European countries continue to dominate the top ten, claiming seven of the positions. The Nordic countries also saw significant progress compared to the 2023 report:
Denmark moved up from 4th to 3rd place.
Finland jumped from 6th to 4th.
Sweden rose from 9th to 5th.
The United States declined:
The United States experienced a sharp drop from 3rd place in 2023 to 9th place this year—its worst performance since 2013.
Despite excelling in areas such as “talent enablement” and “talent development,” a “slight decline in openness and lifelong learning” pushed the country down the rankings in 2025.