 Competitiveness is how countries create the best economic, social and environmental conditions for economic development. It measures what makes up this development, things like policies, institutions and productivity. Simply put, it monitors the vital elements that make a country productive and benchmarks each nation's performance. So why does it matter? Striving for competitiveness is striving for rising prosperity. It means creating more opportunities for all to improve the way people live. A competitive economy is most likely to grow sustainably. So how do we measure it? There are 12 main elements that drive the productivity of a country. Things like how institutions perform, how good their infrastructure is, their macroeconomic environment their technological readiness and their capacity to innovate. Positive and negative changes both have far-reaching effects on the bigger picture. It's these interconnections that lie at the heart of a country's development. For example, strong innovation is more likely to be achieved with a healthy, well-educated, well-trained workforce. In a country that has the ability to invest in research and development and has the transport infrastructure to move its goods and people where they need to be. How can focusing on competitiveness make a difference? It helps policymakers diagnose what makes one country more productive than another, giving them a clear picture of the direct impact of their policies. Competitiveness takes into account the hospitals that care for us, the schools that educate our children, the development of the technologies we take for granted, the roads we navigate, the financial markets that allow us to make critical investments, the prospects for employment, our present and future living standards. Because it's all about creating a better life for everyone.