The United States, world's most competitive country: WEF The United States has the world's most competitive and innovative economy, a World Economic Forum ranking shows, after a methodology shift helped unseat Switzerland after nearly a decade on top. This year's report studied how 140 economies fared when measured against 98 indicators organised into 12 pillars, including institutions, infrastructure, macroeconomic stability, business dynamism and innovation capability. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES