Singapore takes first place in IMD’s World Competitiveness Rankings for 2026, with Hong Kong moving up to second, according to multiple reports citing the Switzerland-based International Institute for Management Development (IMD). Hong Kong climbs one position from last year to rank second, described by one outlet as its best performance in seven years, and is reported to be the top performer among a group of economies that includes Switzerland and Taiwan. In the IMD ranking release, Hong Kong is placed ahead of Switzerland and Taiwan, and it sits behind Singapore at the top of the list. Another report also notes that Hong Kong ranks near the top on specific sub-factors, including “Government Efficiency” and “Business Efficiency,” as part of IMD’s assessment across four main competitiveness factors. Across the survey, IMD is reported to assess 70 economies, with Hong Kong ranked ahead of 68 of them. Overall coverage agrees that Singapore is number one, while Hong Kong is number two, with Taiwan also appearing in the upper tier of the ranking.