Most developing economies struggle to assign to services a lead role in their growth and diversification strategies. This is largely due to the sector’s complexity, its high level of regulatory intensity and institutional dispersion, and significant differences in the challenges faced by policymakers across sectors. These factors can lead to a sectoral approach to policy design rather than an economy-wide perspective that could be adopted given the linkages that tie services to every sector of domestic and international economies.

Objectives

Developing economies can benefit from the self-diagnosis of their competitive strengths and weaknesses in services trade. This can be supported through a user-friendly dashboard pinpointing the data sources, regulatory requirements (and gaps), institutional needs (e.g. improved inter-agency coordination and external stakeholder consultations) and competitiveness metrics required to formulate services strategies targeting both economy-wide and sector-specific gains in efficiency, trade performance, attracting investment and strengthened regulatory performance.

The diagnostics produced would:

1. Document the domestic reform priorities of economies/regions
2. Assist economies in defining the overarching objectives of their services trade policies
3. Help define key interests to be pursued via international trade negotiations or cooperation as a complement to domestic reform efforts
4. Help prioritize development and technical assistance needs regarding services trade policies, under the coordination of trade ministries.

Making use of the dashboard will allow participating economies to identify needs for technical assistance and/or lending support from development partners.

Capacity building and technical assistance

The dashboard will assist developing economies and development partners in conducting assessments of trade in services.

The World Bank and the WTO Secretariat are also mainstreaming use of the dashboard in their capacity building and technical assistance activities, at the request of developing economies.

The dashboard has already been used in WTO capacity-building activities in Nigeria and the Philippines in 2025 and in World Bank technical assistance activities in 2025.

Members wishing to obtain support for undertaking a competitiveness diagnostic dashboard should contact the World Bank and the WTO here.

World Bank country reports making use of indicators used in the dashboard

The indicators used in dashboard have already been used by the World Bank to produce reports on the contribution of services to economic growth, such as for Kenya (see Seizing Kenya’s Services Momentum, 2023, World Bank) and Uzbekistan (see "At Your Service? Services-Led Development in Uzbekistan", 2024, World Bank)

In addition, the World Bank's "Country Growth and Jobs Report" features a dedicated services chapter and aims to provide a comprehensive framework for assessing and implementing policies that drive economic growth and job creation.  These reports draw on indicators used in the dashboard and offer policy impact modelling, allowing governments to see the projected effects of policy changes, thereby facilitating informed decision-making  and more effective analytical support for World Bank lending.  Current work on such reports is being undertaken in Albania, Armenia, Georgia, Guatemala, Jordan and Tunisia.

Other publications

Other publications in relation to services trade competitiveness diagnostics include:

• Farole, T., Guilherme Reis, J. and Wagle, S. (2010), "Analyzing Trade Competitiveness: A Diagnostics Approach", Policy Research Working Paper 5329, Washington, DC: World Bank.
• Hollweg, C. and Sáez, S. (2019), "Services for Trade Competitiveness; Country and Regional Assessments of Services Trade", Washington, DC: World Bank.
• Molinuevo, M. and Sáez, S. (2014), "Regulatory Assessment Toolkit; A Practical Methodology for Assessing Regulation on Trade and Investment in Services", Washington, DC: World Bank.
• Sáez, S., Taglioni, D., van der Marel, E., Hollweg, C. and Zavacka, V. (2014), "Valuing Services in Trade: A Toolkit for Competitiveness Diagnostics", Washington, DC: World Bank.