Switzerland Leads IMD’s 2025 Digital Competitiveness Ranking
Despite intensifying global trade tensions, Switzerland retains its top position in digital competitiveness, surpassing the United States and Singapore. The 2025 IMD World Digital Competitiveness Ranking (WDCR), published by the Institute for Management Development (IMD) in Lausanne, evaluates 69 economies on their capacity to adopt and utilize digital technologies for economic and social progress.
Ranking Highlights
- Switzerland holds the first place.
- The United States ranks second.
- Singapore ranks third.
Switzerland’s success is largely due to its robust digital infrastructure, strong education system, and vibrant innovation ecosystem. However, experts from IMD caution that rising trade fragmentation and evolving regulatory environments could jeopardize Switzerland’s position in the near future.
Expert Commentary
“Digitally speaking, Switzerland has experienced two important developments so far this year: the cataclysmic effects of tariff changes and the approval of e-ID by a razor-thin margin (50.4% in favor),” said Arturo Bris, Director of IMD’s World Competitiveness Center (WCC). “It’s clear that the Swiss aren’t as prepared as we might have hoped to embrace the challenges of technology today.”
The IMD report notes that growing trade tensions increasingly affect data flows, technical standards, and investment decisions — all crucial elements shaping global digital competitiveness.
Summary
Switzerland remains the world’s leading digital economy in 2025, but external pressures from trade disputes and regulatory shifts pose risks to its future dominance.