ELITE QUALITY INDEX · EQx2026
Measuring Elite Quality:
The Sustainable Value Creation of Nations
Which countries have elites that grow the pie — and which ones only take a larger slice? The EQx ranks 151 nations by the quality of their elites' business models.
Country Scores & Global Rankings
Explore country rankings across EQx, Power, and Value through an interactive map designed to reveal patterns, differences, and underlying dynamics at a glance.
EQx Architecture
Explore the Index Architecture
From raw signals to one Elite Quality score.
148 country indicators emerge as the granular evidence layer.
The evidence compresses into 12 pillars across the elite business model.
Power and Value organize the architecture into readable index areas.
The system resolves into the final EQx score and ranking logic.
One composite EQx score summarises how a country's elites create or extract value.
Four index areas split Power and Value across political and economic dimensions.
Twelve pillars group the core mechanisms behind elite power and value creation.
148 indicators provide the datasets that feed the pillars and final EQx score.
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Instant access to the full EQx dataset — scores, rankings, Pillar breakdowns, and historical trends — in plain language.
Chatbot EQxSUSTAINABLE VALUE CREATION
The Overarching Sustainable Value Creation (SVC) Project
The Sustainable Value Creation (SVC) Project comprises two complementary flagship measurements. Formally articulated as the Elite Theory of Economic Development (ETED), the SVC Project integrates disparate fields — including economics, finance, management, and political science — into a systematic project aimed at identifying the true sources of national wealth. The Elite Quality Index (EQx) is an internationally comparative political economy index that measures the aggregate propensity of a country’s elites to create rather than extract value across 151 nations. The Value Creation Rating (VCr) operates at the firm level, assessing the proportion of value creation relative to value transfer across the business models of listed companies worldwide. Together, they form an integrated measurement architecture spanning the macro, meso, and micro levels of economic analysis — linking the business model decisions of individual organizations (micro) to elite agency at the national elite system (meso) level, and from there to macro-level economic and developmental outcomes.
ELITE QUALITY INDEX (EQx)
What do national elites do with their power?
They shape whether value is created — or extracted — within an economy. The Elite Quality Index (EQx) reveals how elites use that power: to grow the economic pie or capture a larger share of it. It ranks 151 countries based on the extent to which their business models create value or extract it, providing policymakers, investors, and institutions with a clear, data-driven view of how nations generate sustainable prosperity.
7th edition · 151 countries · 148 indicators
VALUE CREATION RATING (VCr)
What the EQx does for nations, the VCr does for firms
The Value Creation Rating (VCr) reveals whether companies create value — or extract it — from their stakeholders. It tracks how value flows across business models, distinguishing between value generated and value transferred from society, the environment, or future generations.
The latest VCr analysis covers 1,000 companies across 102 metrics, providing investors, executives, and policymakers with a clear, data-driven view of long-term performance, risk, and real economic contribution — beyond traditional financial indicators.
WHAT
What Are Elites
Elites are narrow, coordinated groups that run the largest income-generating business models in an economy. They exist in every society on earth — an empirical inevitability.
Learn more →WHY
Why Elites Matter
Elite business models are key determinants of a nation's prosperity. Whether elites allocate society's resources to value creation or rent seeking determines economic and human development.
Learn more →HOW
How Do We Measure Elite Quality
EQx does not measure elites directly. It evaluates the degree of value creation in their business models, using 148 indicators across four levels: Index, Sub-indices, Pillars, and Indicators.
Methodology →How is Elite Quality measured?
Elite Quality is measured through the Elite Quality Index (EQx), which assesses a nation’s elite system at the meso level based on a dual ontology of value creation versus extractive value transfers. It aggregates over one hundred macro-level indicators into 12 pillars, organized into four index areas across Political and Economic dimensions, and two sub-indices: “Power” (future value extraction) and “Value” (current value creation). Together, these elements produce a single composite score and ranking, capturing a country’s capacity for sustainable development.
What is Power?
The capacity to enforce one’s preferences; Power is therefore conceived of as potential future Value Extraction.
What is Value?
The outcome of first-order productive activities; Value creation is inclusive as it increases the size of the overall economic pie for all.
What is Political?
The dimension where business model rules are determined and Value Creation/Extraction is enabled.
What is Economic?
The dimension where Value Creation/Extraction is implemented via elite business models.
EQx INSIGHTS
View all press coverage"Rethinking Argentina: the challenge of Argentine development", a reflective debate on local elites based on a Swiss university study
Experts and business leaders discussed Argentina's 104th place in EQx2026 at the Malba, where the University of St. Gallen presented the country chapter. Tomas Casas i Klett pointed to weak elite cohesion and investment, while speakers called for institutional consensus, greater scientific funding and a coalition able to replace rent extraction with sustainable value creation.
Scientists, political scientists and diplomats took part in a debate on Argentine development
Rafael Grossi, Rodrigo Zarazaga, Raquel Chan and Tomas Casas i Klett examined Argentina's unrealized potential. They pointed to investment, institutional consensus, science–industry cooperation and value-creating elites as the conditions for overcoming recurring crises and improving the country's EQx position.
What are our Elites worth?
The article explains how EQx distinguishes value-creating elites from rent-seeking elites and examines the relationship between power and value. Portugal performs better in economic value creation than in political value creation.
Launch of the "Elite Quality Index" 2026
SMS Latinoamérica announces "Repensar Argentina 2026", featuring Tomas Casas i Klett and Pablo San Martín. The event examines Argentina's fall to 104th place and the reforms needed to turn elite power into sustainable value creation.
Argentina fell 18 places in a global ranking of elite quality and is one of the lowest in the region
Argentina fell 18 places to 104th in EQx2026. Its elites retain significant political and economic power but fail to convert it into sustained prosperity. Inflation, weak investment, protectionism, educational shortcomings and brain drain contribute to poor value creation.
Argentina's elites "extract value but destroy the future": the harsh diagnosis of a global report
Argentina's elites possess considerable power but largely extract rather than create value. The article describes "hegemonic stagnation", in which rent-seeking and short-term appropriation undermine economic development and the country's long-term prospects.
Argentina falls in the "elite quality" ranking
Argentina dropped from 70th to 86th among 151 countries. The article emphasizes the EQx distinction between elite influence and value creation, and notes that Argentine policymaking frequently prioritizes short-term objectives.
The "casta", as of March: Argentina falls 16 places in the "elite quality" ranking
Argentina fell 16 places to 86th in EQx2025. Its elites retain substantial influence but struggle to transform power into sustainable value creation, reflecting short-term policies, weak investment and persistent rent-seeking.
Philippines improves in Elite Quality Index
The Philippines climbed one place to 50th among 151 countries, scoring 52.0. The infographic explains that EQx evaluates whether elite business models generate value for society or engage in rent-seeking.
Singapore tops elite quality index for 6th time in 7 years, faces challenges from deglobalisation
Singapore retains first place with a score of 65.6, but deglobalization and supply-chain fragmentation threaten its internationally oriented model. New AI indicators helped propel the United States from 16th to second place.
Switzerland takes third place in Elite Quality Index 2025
Switzerland ranks third, supported by transparent, decentralized and accountable institutions. EQx still identifies concerns about economic-power concentration, insufficient creative destruction and the underrepresentation of women in leadership.
Morocco moves up in ranking of elite quality, but struggles remain on fairness and innovation
Morocco rose four places to 87th, with stronger elite power but weaker value creation. Persistent challenges include unequal opportunities, limited innovation and AI capacity, and poor environmental performance.
Elite Quality Index 2025: U.S.A. rises to No. 2 through AI value creation while Asia advances
EQx2025 ranks 151 countries using 149 indicators. AI-driven value creation lifts the United States from 16th to second, while several Asian economies advance. Europe performs strongly on intergenerational value creation but shows weaker present-day competitiveness.
Portugal slips in elite quality but makes progress on debt
Portugal fell five places to 30th in EQx2025 despite improvements in public-debt indicators. Weak productivity, talent loss and limited investment in innovation continue to restrict sustainable value creation.
Portugal sinks in the world "ranking" of elite quality
Portugal fell five positions to 30th, matching its weakest previous ranking. The decline is linked to talent loss, weak labor-productivity growth and difficulty attracting investment in technologies essential to innovation.
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Dozens of questions & answers about our project and on Elite Quality in general
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