Global Power Index 4.0  /  For Policymakers

Good policy starts with
knowing where you stand.

The Global Power Index quantifies national capability across 194 countries — giving governments, development institutions, and multilateral organisations the empirical foundation to benchmark competitiveness, design evidence-based policy, and make the case for investment.

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The Challenge

Policy without benchmarking is planning in the dark.

Most nations build economic strategy around GDP growth and a handful of lagging indicators. But national power — the real engine of long-term prosperity — is multidimensional. Countries that understand their structural position across technology, industry, demographics, finance, and resources make better policy. Those that don't, fall behind without knowing why.

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Incomplete measurement

GDP alone cannot reveal whether a nation is gaining or losing ground on the structural capabilities that drive long-term competitiveness — from industrial depth to energy security to technological sovereignty.

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Fragmented intelligence

Policy teams draw on dozens of separate indices and reports — each measuring a single dimension. There is no unified framework that shows how all national capabilities interact and compound.

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Reactive positioning

Without trajectory data, governments are left responding to shifts in global power after they happen. The ability to anticipate — and position ahead of change — requires forward-looking structural intelligence.

The Framework

A unified measure of national power — built for policy.

The Global Power Index (GPI) assesses 194 countries across 85+ variables, 10 Specialised Indices, and 30 years of historical data. It provides two complementary lenses designed specifically for the questions policymakers need to answer.

Standardised Level Index

Where does your country stand today?

Measures absolute national capability — the structural fundamentals that determine a nation's current position in the global hierarchy. Use it to benchmark against peers, identify capability gaps, and understand where you hold competitive advantage.

Growth Index

Where is your country heading?

Measures trajectory — the rate at which national capabilities are improving or declining. Use it to assess whether current policy is moving the needle, spot emerging competitors, and identify which dimensions are accelerating or stalling.

Both the Standardised Level and Growth measurements carry through into all 10 Specialised Indices — giving you granular, dimension-level intelligence on everything from energy security to demographic structure. See all indices →
Applications

Where policymakers
use the GPI.

National Competitiveness

Benchmark your position against peers and competitors

A Southeast Asian planning ministry wants to understand how its industrial capacity compares to regional peers — not just by GDP, but across manufacturing depth, technological readiness, and supply chain integration. The GPI's Industrial Capacity Index and Level rankings reveal specific capability gaps and where the nation already outperforms.

Evidence-Based Policy Design

Identify which structural levers actually move national power

A national development agency needs to allocate limited resources across competing priorities — education, infrastructure, energy transition, digital connectivity. The GPI's Growth Index shows which dimensions are accelerating in comparable nations and where targeted investment has historically yielded the greatest improvement in national capability.

Investment Attraction

Build a data-backed case for foreign direct investment

A government investment promotion agency needs to demonstrate to foreign investors why their country offers structural advantages over competitors. The GPI's Investment Attractiveness Index, Financial Resilience Index, and Demographic Dividend Index provide the quantitative narrative — showing not just current appeal but improving trajectory.

Case Study

BAPPENAS — Indonesia's National Development Planning Agency

Indonesia's national planning agency, BAPPENAS, found us independently and engaged Pareto Economics to support their strategic planning with GPI data. The relationship began with a data purchase and has since expanded to a second engagement — a direct reflection of the value the framework delivers at the highest levels of government planning.

Phase 1

Discovery & Data Access

BAPPENAS identified the GPI independently and purchased country-level data to inform Indonesia's national development strategy and peer benchmarking.

Phase 2

Repeat Engagement

Following the initial data purchase, BAPPENAS returned for a second engagement — expanding the scope of GPI data used in their planning process.

Phase 3

Ongoing Relationship

The partnership continues to develop, with the GPI framework informing how Indonesia benchmarks its national capabilities against regional and global peers.

Result: A G20 nation's top planning agency found the GPI independently, purchased the data, and came back for more. When a government's own development planners seek you out, it validates the framework at the level that matters most.

Specialised Indices

Dimension-level intelligence for targeted policy.

Each Specialised Index isolates a critical dimension of national power. Policymakers use them to diagnose specific structural strengths and weaknesses, benchmark against peer nations, and build evidence-based cases for reform.

Industrial Capacity Index

Measures manufacturing depth, technological sophistication, and domestic production capability. Essential for industrial policy design and reindustrialisation strategies.

→ Industrial policy, manufacturing strategy, supply chain sovereignty

Geostrategic Positioning Index

Measures geographic advantage, trade connectivity, and position in global commerce flows. Essential for infrastructure investment and trade corridor strategy.

→ Trade policy, infrastructure planning, connectivity strategy

Financial Resilience Index

Measures financial system stability, fiscal sustainability, and capacity to withstand economic shocks. Essential for macroprudential policy and fiscal planning.

→ Fiscal policy, financial regulation, crisis preparedness

Technological Leadership Index

Measures innovation capacity, R&D intensity, and technological sovereignty. Essential for science and technology policy, digital transformation, and talent strategy.

→ Innovation policy, digital strategy, R&D investment planning

Investment Attractiveness Index

Measures market depth, capital flows, and financial infrastructure appeal. Essential for investment promotion agencies and capital market development.

→ FDI attraction, capital market reform, investment promotion

Demographic Dividend Index

Measures workforce potential, population structure, and human capital trajectory. Essential for education policy, labour market reform, and long-term fiscal planning.

→ Education policy, workforce development, pension reform
Explore all Specialised Indices →
Stakeholders

Built for the institutions that
shape national strategy.

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Government Ministries

Planning, finance, trade, and industry ministries use the GPI to benchmark national competitiveness, inform budget allocation, and design evidence-based policy interventions across structural dimensions.

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Multilateral Organisations

Development banks, UN agencies, and regional bodies use the GPI to assess member state capabilities, prioritise development assistance, and track structural progress across portfolios.

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Investment Promotion Agencies

National investment authorities use the GPI and its Specialised Indices to build data-backed narratives for foreign investors — demonstrating structural advantages and improving trajectory.

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Think Tanks & Policy Institutes

Independent research institutions and policy advisory bodies use the GPI as a quantitative backbone for their analysis — enriching qualitative assessments with structural, comparable data.

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Central Banks & Regulators

Monetary authorities and financial regulators use the Financial Resilience Index and broader GPI data to contextualise macroprudential assessments within a global structural framework.

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Development Finance Institutions

DFIs and development banks — including the African Development Bank, where we have delivered workshops — use the GPI to inform country allocation strategies and track development trajectories.

Trusted by institutions that shape global policy.

Brilliant and insightful — the team delivered with clarity and depth. A great experience for our organisation.

Luca Lamorte, PhD
International Organisation for Migration (IOM), United Nations
International Organisations

Pareto delivered a presentation that was really interesting and inspiring. Their capability to catch the attention of the audience was astonishing, and I appreciated the deep knowledge of the subject matter being discussed.

General Ivan Caruso
Commander of the Italian Special Forces, Italian Army
Defence

Institutions we have worked with

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