CPEC benefits start to appear as Pakistan Global Competitiveness Index increases significantly

CPEC benefits start to appear as Pakistan Global Competitiveness Index increases significantly

ISLAMABAD - World Economic Forum Report (WEFR) mentions that China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has helped Pakistan climb several notches up on the global competitiveness scale. 

The report has placed Pakistan 115th out of the 137 countries which is a huge improvement from last year’s ranking. The major reason for this improvement in ranking is the augmentation of infrastructure in Pakistan, which can be attributed to CPEC.

CPEC helps Pakistan climb up on the global competitiveness scale



The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is still a work in progress, but it has already helped Pakistan's economy climb several notches on the global competitiveness scale.

That's according to a just published World Economic Forum Report (WEFR), which placed Pakistan 115th out of the 137 countries ranked.

While this ranking is still low compared to neighboring countries, it’s a big improvement from the 122th position the country occupied last year, and the 133th position back in 2014—see tables.



Competitiveness Ranking 2017-18

Source: World Economic Forum

CountryRanking
Pakistan115
India40
Malaysia23
Thailand32
Indonesia36

Pakistan’s Competitive Ranking For Selected Years

YearRanking
2014133
2016126
2017122
2018115

Source: Tradingeconomics.com

One reason for this improvement is Pakistan’s progress in the infrastructure “pillar” of the report, where the country is ranked 110th.

CountryOverall RankingInfrastructure Ranking
Pakistan115110
China2746

Paradoxically, while Pakistan climbed in the infrastructure “pillar,” its CPEC partner moved in the other direction. China’s score for the infrastructure pillar decreased for the second year in a row, due in part to a decline in the quality of port infrastructure and the reliability of electricity supply.

That’s certainly not a good sign for the future of the CPEC partnership. It raises doubts as to whether the project will ever be completed without leaving Pakistan deep in debt. Besides, CPEC faces other challenges like India’s claims over areas crossed by the enormous project, and from the persistence of corruption on both sides of the partnership, as was discussed in a previous piece.

It’s these doubts, together with the persistence of corruption, that have tempered investor enthusiasm over the country’s climb in the global competition scale.