Nepal ranked 110th out of 125 nations in a Global Competitiveness Survey conducted by the World Economic Forum.

This is the first time the WEF has incorporated Nepal in its annual survey of global competitiveness. The 2006 survey showed Switzerland at the top spot followed by Finland and Sweden respectively. Last year’s number one country the United States has come down to sixth position this year.

Released today in Kathmandu, the survey showed Nepal at the lowest position among the South Asian nations. India leads the pack at 43rd position. China stands at 54th position. Likewise, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh hug 79th, 91st and 99th positions respectively. Bhutan and Maldives are not included in the survey. The war-ravaged African nation Angola is at the bottom-most position.

“The ranking is based on nine broad pillars or parameters such as infrastructure, health/education, institutions, technologies etc,” said Dr. Ramesh Chitracar, executive director of Center for Economic Development and Administration (CEDA). The center was the partner institute of WEF for Nepal. It conducted the executive opinion survey from among chief executives of around 80 major companies based on a standardized questionnaire, which was analyzed by the Switzerland-based WEF to calculate Nepal’s overall ranking.