The economies of three GCC countries have been listed in the top 20 most competitive in the world by the World Economic Forum. Qatar topped the region in 13 place, up two places. The UAE also improved, up five positions to 19, while Saudi Arabia declined to 20 place. The top three countries in the annual index remained the same as last year – Switzerland, Singapore and Finland. The US ranked fifth, with the UK coming in tenth. The UAE’s improvement was fuelled by higher oil prices, which helped boost the budget surplus, reduce public debt and raise the savings rate, the report says. Overall in the Middle East, political turbulence has impacted the competitiveness of countries affected by unrest, and some neighbours, WEF said.