In the 2018 Global Competitiveness Report presented by the World Economic Forum (WEF), the Netherlands was ranked best in Europe regarding its transport network and water and energy supply. Its efficient sea and airports achieved particularly high scores; but the quality of the road network and access to electricity supply were also ranked highly.
The WEF research examined various criteria to determine infrastructure quality. A total of 140 countries were investigated, including such diverse aspects as roads, rail network, maritime sector, aviation and the electricity and drinking water supply. The Netherlands is among the world’s best in these areas, and within Europe, the Netherlands was ranked first.
Liner service: highest in Europe
Regarding access to electricity supply, the Netherlands was ranked best in the world, although this was a shared first place with 66 other countries. In examining the transport network, the Netherlands achieved particularly high scores in sea port services (2nd place globally, after Singapore), airport services (3rd) and road network quality (3rd). Regarding links to the network of liner services, the Netherlands came sixth globally and also achieved the highest score in Europe.
Port infrastructure
The report used a new classification system this year. Until last year, port infrastructure was itemised per country. This enabled the Netherlands to be ranked first for the past six years in a row.
Taking into account all aspects that determine a country’s competitiveness, the Netherlands lost this place this year. We came sixth after the United States, Singapore, Germany, Switzerland and Japan.
