Économie, investissement et finance

Developed economies remain far ahead in productive capacities, but progress has largely stalled since COVID-19. Developing countries have made notable gains since 2000, yet the gap persists, with little sign of convergence. LDCs have advanced steadily, though more slowly since 2016, while SIDS, once outperforming the developing average, have grown at a slower pace and are now aligned with other developing economies.

Between 2000 and 2024, growth in productive capacities among LDCs has been driven by strong gains in Information and Communication Technology (ICT), with smaller contributions from the private sector, energy and human capital—though the latter has notably declined since COVID-19.

Natural capital remains the largest component of LDCs’ productive capacities, although it has slightly declined compared with the 2000s. This is a key asset but also a vulnerability, due to risks from commodity dependence.

Structural change has remained quite volatile, underscoring the difficulty of translating sectoral shifts into sustainable transformation. Transport has been the weakest area, showing stagnation throughout the period and partial recovery after COVID-19 disruptions

Between 2018 and 2024, several developing economies recorded notable improvements in their PCI scores. Benin and Côte d'Ivoire in Africa; Saudi Arabia and Armenia in Asia; Dominican Republic in the Caribbean and Tuvalu in Oceania made the largest gains in their respective regions and all gained 4 index points on the PCI. Globally, gains in PCI scores were more frequent and larger than declines over the period. However, Lebanon, Jordan in Asia, and Belarus, Russian Federation and Hungary in Europe experienced declines greater than 2 index points.