The new 2026 Prosperity Index ranking reveals which countries have the healthiest economies—not only in terms of gross growth or market size, but also in terms of investment levels, economic complexity, and the ability to generate high added value. The Czechia’s key advantage lies primarily in robotization—there are on average 216 robots per 10,000 employees in the manufacturing sector. The country also performs exceptionally well in the share of investment in GDP (26.5%), where it holds the top position across the entire European Union. Czech GDP per capita reaches 91% of the EU average.

The country’s strong 8th place is also supported by its high economic complexity. Put simply, the Czechia ranks fifth in the EU in its ability to “produce virtually anything.” According to experts, this versatility makes the Czech economy more resilient to unexpected external shocks. However, the Czechia lags behind in one key metric: export value added (58.2%), where it ranks only seventh from the bottom.

Slovenia has long been close behind the Czechia and has even outperformed it in previous editions of the ranking. It is the only other post-communist country to place among the top ten economies. Slovenia demonstrates that investing in high-tech and a well-conceived strategy pays off. The Slovenian economy ranks an excellent third in European economic complexity and fourth in the number of robots per employee. Although it is a relatively small market, Slovenia has succeeded in building a highly sophisticated and significantly automated industrial base.

Croatia ranked 15th overall and performs best in the investment share parameter (3rd place with 25.2% of GDP), but ranks only 26th in terms of the number of robots (21) per 10,000 inhabitants.

Source: https://www.indexprosperity.cz/