Sustainable Competitiveness Observatory (SCO)

Data updated: September 2026

The OCD aims to provide a wide range of indicators to support national and international policymakers in their economic analysis and decision-making.

What sets the Observatory apart is that it goes beyond traditional measures of price competitiveness to adopt a more comprehensive approach, incorporating not only countries’ trade performance but also their national attractiveness, structural characteristics, and economic, climate-related and sociopolitical vulnerabilities. Designed primarily for emerging and developing economies, the OCD thus provides a better understanding of their strengths and weaknesses, as well as their capacity to integrate sustainably into the global economy.

The OCD data have been updated across the competitiveness dimensions. Indicators relating to national attractiveness and sustainability are being progressively integrated into the Observatory over 2026–2027.

Competitiveness is traditionally analysed through changes in relative prices, costs and exchange rates.

The OCD complements this approach in order to better reflect the diversity of situations across emerging and developing economies. It brings together three complementary dimensions:

The Observatory draws on research conducted at FERDI and CERDI, as well as on an international network of researchers, experts and partners. This combination of academic research, international data and operational needs is one of the foundations of the OCD.

The Observatory is intended for:

• public and private companies, as well as national and international investors, providing them with information on the economic and social environment of countries in which they may invest and, through an analysis of production costs and competitiveness, helping them assess opportunities for exporting or selling on local markets;
• public policymakers, particularly in African countries, seeking information on the drivers of growth, obstacles to development and potential levers for progress, notably to support economic diversification and greater integration into regional and global markets;
• bilateral and multilateral cooperation institutions, for which access to relevant data on the factors that strengthen or constrain competitiveness can help inform cooperation strategies and the selection of development projects;
• researchers, academics and journalists.