Global Competetiveness Report

Social Cohesion
Overview
A certain level of social balance or social consensus is required to maintain a stable environment
in which economic activities can take place. The higher the social consensus, the higher the
motivation of individuals to contribute to the wider good, i.e. the sustainable development of the
nation. The indicators used to calculate the social cohesion score of countries is composed of
health and health care factors (availability and affordability), the quantitative equality within
societies (income, assets, and gender equality), freedom indicators (political freedom, freedom
from fear, individual happiness), crime levels, and demographic indicators.
All four Scandinavian countries – often associated with socially progressiveness - are ranked in the
top six, with other Central and Northern European countries (Iceland, Ireland, Austria, Germany,
Switzerland) and Japan (10 th ) filling the top ten. The first non-European countries in the Social
Cohesion ranking are Canada (16 th ), New Zealand (21 th ) and Australia (22 th ). The highest ranked
non-OECD country is Qatar (29 th ), and Argentina (55 th ) in South America, while the first African
Nation is Mali (91st). Of the emerging economies, China is ranked 53 rd , India 71 st , Brazil 102 th and
Russia 106 th . The USA , due to comparable high crime rates and low availability of health services,
is ranked 78 th .
Most African nations, particular below in and South of the Sahel zone, are at the bottom of this list,
due to a combination of low availability of health care services and child mortality, limited
freedom of expression and unstable human rights situation.
The Social Cohesion Map: dark colour indicates high ,light colour limited social cohesion and consensus
The Global Sustainable Competitiveness Index
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