WEF says northern European economies are most competitive . According to the most recent annual 2010-2011 competitive league tables established by the World Economic Forum (WEF), Switzerland remains the most competitive country in the world. Out of 142 countries, Switzerland is in the lead, with Singapore on its heels, after having pushed Sweden out of second into third place. The Top 10 has not changed very much and northern European countries are still going strong. Finland climbs from 17th to 4th place, the US drops one place (from 4th to 5th), similarly to Germany, which falls into 6th place. On the other hand, the Netherlands rises from 8th to 7th place, similarly to Denmark, which rises from 9th to 8th place. In 9th position, Japan falls three places and the United Kingdom, 12th last year, is now in 10th place. Overall, the report demonstrates that: 1) Japan is the second Asian country in the Top 10, despite falling three places; 2) the US continues to fall down the rankings table for the third year in a row. In addition to macro-economic difficulties that continue to persist, other factors are worrying investors, such as the lack of public confidence in political governance and a certain inefficiency at government level. On a more positive note, confidence is beginning to re-emerge in the financial field; 3) Germany and the Netherlands are two eurozone countries well placed in the rankings, despite them both having dropped a place; 4) France, on the other hand, has fallen three places and is now in 18th place; 5) Greece continues to plunge and is now in 90th place; and 5) despite the political crisis, Belgium achieved a very good result and climbed from 19th into 15th place. The results indicate that although competitiveness has stagnated for around seven years in the advanced economies, many developing countries are enjoying stable growth. The pace of economic activity in developed and developing countries has changed and emerging countries are taking the lead, which indicates that the advanced countries have to follow suite. China is in 26th place and is an example of the kind of major developing economy that is consolidating its position. Other countries in this category include South Africa (50th) and Brazil (53rd), which have climbed up the rankings scale, while India (56th) and Russia (66th) both fell slightly. (I.L.trans/fl)