KOF Index

• The KOF Index measures the economic, social and political dimensions of globalisation, producing a rating of each country out of a theoretical maximum of 100. It currently sources data from 196 countries and originated in Zurich, Switzerland in 2006. Switzerland is also the leading country in globalisation, scoring 90.61 on the index.
• The KOF Index aims to measure the rate of globalisation around the world. It is a complex aim and has many dimensions, applying differently to each country and so is difficult to define as a single measurable process. Conflicts exist on which is the most appropriate and accurate measure.
• Each year's new index measurement from the KOF is added to a historical database which covers over 30 years since 1970. This allows changes, trends and patterns in the data to be identified and studied.
• Stages of the KOF Index:

  • 1 & 2: economic dimensions (trade, FDI, capital flows, taxes, tariffs)
  • 3: political data (embassies, commissions, international organisations, UN peace missions)
  • 4 & 5: social aspects (WB data on information flows)
  • 6: cultural proximity (imported and exported books)
  • 7 & 8: the data is totalled into scores
• The higher a country's KOF Index rating, the greater the level of globalisation that country is upholding. It is useful to monitor changes in the advancements and interdependence of countries, providing insight into global trends (e.g. there has been a flattening of progress since 2015). Another clear trend is that Switzerland, the Netherlands and Belgium have occupied the top three positions for over a decade.
• The political measures of the KOF Index characterise the diffusion of government policies and how many goals they have for the good of their country.
• The social measures of the KOF Index show the accessibility of international news, therefore contributing to the global spread of ideas.
• The cultural measures of the KOF Index show the extent to which the values and beliefs of other cultures move across national borders.
• The economic measures of the KOF Index show, for example, as the mean tariff rate decreases countries are assigned lower ratings.
• The UK in the KOF Index:

  • latest value: 88 (2021)
  • average value: 83
  • highest value: 90 (2017)
  • lowest value: 68 (1970)
  • highest measure: political
  • lowest measure: economic