Economic position

The Swiss economic position is regularly ranked among the best in the world in many fields, such as innovation, for example.

Switzerland is among the best economic areas in the world. Its geographic position at the heart of Europe, its quality of life, multilingualism, liberal laws, qualified workforce, and its higher education schools (hautes écoles) and first-rate research institutions make it a preferred place to establish and develop a company.

Switzerland thus ranks second in the 2024 World Competitiveness Ranking published by IMD. The European Commission also places the country at the top of the European innovation scoreboard 2023 (europa.eu). Furthermore, Switzerland ranks among the top positions in the global competitiveness ranking set out in the last Global Competitiveness Report of the World Economic Forum (WEF).

Switzerland - a champion of innovation

Economists maintain that the innovative force of Switzerland is one of the main reasons for its economic success. The country, with its environment favorable to start-ups and its higher education schools and internationally known research institutions, is regularly ranked as a champion of innovation.

The country ranks 1st in the Global Innovation Index published by INSEAD and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and 2nd in the 2024 World Competitiveness Ranking by IMD. According to the European Innovation Scoreboard 2024, Switzerland is the top-performing country in Europe, surpassing all European Union (EU) member states. The report highlights Switzerland as a leader in innovation, with a performance level of 138.4% of the EU average in 2024, exceeding the average of other innovation leaders (132.1%). However, its growth rate remains lower than that of the EU (+10%).

Facility to conduct business

The 2020 edition of the Doing Business report by the World Bank, which measures the impact of regulations on SMEs, places Switzerland in a less favorable position than the IMD and WEF surveys mentioned above.