Singapore has overtaken Switzerland to become the world’s most talent-competitive country, marking the first time the city-state has topped the Global Talent Competitiveness Index since its launch in 2013.
The Republic claimed first place among 135 economies in the latest GTCI report by business school Insead, released on 26 Nov 2025.
Switzerland fell to second place after holding the top position since 2013, while Denmark moved up one spot to third. Finland, Sweden, the Netherlands, Norway, Luxembourg, the US and Australia completed the top 10.
Singapore was the only Asian country that made it to the top 20, with upper rankings largely dominated by European economies. Other top-ranking Asian countries included Japan, which placed 28th, and South Korea, which came in 31st.
The annual ranking was launched by Insead in 2013 as a benchmark for policy thinking on labour markets, work organisation and talent flows.
Singapore’s Educational Evolution Drives Talent Success
The report pointed to Singapore’s education system and adaptive workforce as the factors that drove it to the top spot.
Singapore was ranked first for Generalist Adaptive Skills, including soft skills, digital literacy and innovation-oriented thinking.
Felipe Monteiro, academic director of the GTCI and senior affiliate professor of strategy at Insead, attributed Singapore’s first-place showing largely to a marked improvement in its ability to retain talent.
This was owing to improvements in areas of personal rights, physician density and continued global leadership in personal safety.
Report Revamp Brings New Focus on Disruption Resilience
The Republic was ranked second in the last three GTCI reports, with the last released in 2023, behind Switzerland.
There was no report in 2024 as the index was being revamped after 10 editions. The revamp resulted in Insead partnering with Portulans Institute, a non-profit research outfit based in Washington, DC, for the 2025 edition.
The report’s academic and methodological rigour was strengthened and includes new variables such as artificial intelligence adoption, soft skills and employee well-being.
Under the theme Resilience in the Age of Disruption, this year’s GTCI examined how nations and economies are building talent systems capable of weathering disruptions.
The ranking of 135 economies is based on 77 indicators across six pillars: enable, attract, grow, retain, vocational and technical skills, and generalist adaptive skills.
Paul Evans, co-editor of the report, noted that economies that cultivate adaptable and AI-literate workforces tend to be better able to sustain long-term competitiveness.
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