Current Economic Development
The Macroeconomic Indicators To Watch
What this Index is about
The Current Economic Development (CED) index summarizes six key macro statistics for 42 countries and the Euro area. It focuses on the short-run development and documents which nations are currently doing well and which are struggling.
The CED index considers GDP growth, inflation, unemployment, the public budget balance, the current account balance, and the exchange rate.
All six components are weighted equally, reflecting the fact that there are trade-offs: improvements in one component can come at the price of a deteriorating performance in another variable. This website explains the crucial trade-offs to keep in mind.
The Latest News
April 2024:
- Denmark again takes the top spot.
- Hong Kong, Switzerland, Singapore, and Taiwan complete the top-5.
- Israel falls 8 ranks, from 23rd to 31st.
- Korea, Malaysia, and the Czech Republic are up 7 ranks each.
- Despite negative GDP growth (-0.2%), Germany remains 6th.
- The US ranks 25th. It trails both China (10th) and the Euro area (17th).
- South Africa is now at the bottom of the ranking.
Current Ranking
Where each country stands right now
The CED index ranks 42 nations and the Euro area according
to six macroeconomic indicators.
Every week the overall ranking is updated with the latest data.
Ranking over Time
The development of each nation
What matters more than a country's ranking position in one week is its track record over time. For all countries, the development can be tracked using historical ranks.
Methodology
Macro indicators and their interpretation
Why are the selected six indicators important? How to interpret the numbers? The methodology section explains the indicators and points out key trade-offs to keep in mind.
Data
The sources of information
The basis of the ranking is raw data on the macroeconomic development. For transparency reasons, the source and limitations of the data are presented.