The State of the Mind · Mind Economy
Mind Economy Indices
Alternative economic intelligence for the Global South
The Mind Economy Indices provide an experimental reading of how far macroeconomic statistics align with lived experience in large emerging and Global South economies. They link public data on growth, inflation, public finances and social spending with governance quality and youth outcomes.
The suite covers four dimensions — HII (Human Intelligence Index), HPI (Human Priorities Index), FSI (Fiscal Stress Index) and YOS (Youth Opportunity Score). All are built from open sources (IMF, World Bank, ILO, UNESCO, WGI).
Why a "Mind Economy"?
Many emerging economies record respectable GDP growth yet report persistent frustration: strained household budgets, weak public services, limited formal employment for young people and low trust in institutions.
The Mind Economy approach starts from a simple proposition: if progress is genuine, it should show up not only in national accounts but in time, trust and opportunity. The indices treat social investment, fiscal resilience and youth transition as core economic variables.
The Human Intelligence Index combines GDP growth, inflation control, current account balance and governance quality. Higher scores indicate better alignment between macroeconomic stability and institutional effectiveness.
HPI is calculated as (education + health spending) ÷ military spending. Higher values indicate sustained investment in human capability relative to defence expenditure.
YOS measures education-to-employment transitions for young people (15-24). Higher scores indicate systems where youth move from schooling into stable, formal work more successfully.
FSI combines government debt, fiscal balance, current account balance and foreign reserves. Higher values indicate greater vulnerability to funding or currency shocks.
Regional patterns reveal stark differences
Asia
Africa
Latin America
Middle East
Asia leads in economic management and youth outcomes. Africa prioritises social spending but faces higher fiscal stress and youth unemployment. Latin America shows mixed performance with elevated fiscal pressures.
Complete country rankings, 2024
| Economy | HII | HPI | FSI | YOS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇲🇾 Malaysia | 69.0 | 5.00 | 30.6 | 67.6 |
| 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia | 68.5 | 2.72 | 54.8 | 57.2 |
| 🇮🇳 India | 65.2 | 2.43 | 60.5 | 66.1 |
| 🇨🇳 China | 63.2 | 8.71 | 25.5 | 78.8 |
| 🇮🇩 Indonesia | 62.7 | 9.11 | 52.8 | 70.5 |
| 🇹🇭 Thailand | 62.1 | 8.47 | 53.0 | 71.3 |
| 🇧🇷 Brazil | 61.8 | 7.26 | 71.7 | 61.8 |
| 🇰🇪 Kenya | 61.1 | 6.01 | 49.7 | 59.5 |
| 🇷🇺 Russia | 59.9 | 3.14 | 40.9 | 83.5 |
| 🇧🇩 Bangladesh | 58.9 | 6.32 | 37.6 | 63.8 |
| 🇿🇦 South Africa | 58.8 | 5.94 | 68.4 | 33.4 |
| 🇵🇭 Philippines | 57.1 | 6.50 | 35.3 | 44.3 |
| 🇻🇳 Vietnam | 56.8 | 8.03 | 46.8 | 58.6 |
| 🇪🇹 Ethiopia | 51.4 | 9.38 | 54.8 | 21.4 |
| 🇵🇰 Pakistan | 50.5 | 5.13 | 55.2 | 74.9 |
| 🇲🇽 Mexico | 48.5 | 7.84 | 40.0 | 70.2 |
| 🇦🇷 Argentina | 44.6 | 3.94 | 60.8 | 63.9 |
| 🇪🇬 Egypt | 36.5 | 7.29 | 51.9 | 28.4 |
| 🇳🇬 Nigeria | 33.2 | 10.00 | 62.5 | 35.6 |
| 🇹🇷 Turkey | 31.2 | 6.68 | 53.0 | 56.1 |
Data compiled from IMF World Economic Outlook, World Bank World Development Indicators, ILOSTAT, UNESCO Institute for Statistics and Worldwide Governance Indicators (2024). For analytical use only.
Signature Indices
Mind Economy Indices
Four composite indices measuring how macroeconomic statistics align with lived experience across 20 Global South economies: Human Intelligence, Human Priorities, Fiscal Stress and Youth Opportunity.
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How the indices work
HII · Human Intelligence Index
Weighted composite of GDP growth (30%), inflation control (25%), current account balance (20%) and governance quality (25%). Scaled 0-100.
HPI · Human Priorities Index
Simple ratio: (education % GDP + health % GDP) ÷ military % GDP. Higher values indicate greater social investment relative to defence.
FSI · Fiscal Stress Index
Equal-weighted composite of debt/GDP, fiscal balance, current account and reserves. Scaled 0-100, where higher = more stress.
YOS · Youth Opportunity Score
Weighted composite of NEET rate (30%), unemployment (30%), secondary completion (30%) and employment ratio (10%). Scaled 0-100.
Indicators are normalised (0-1), then combined using fixed weights. Composite scores are rescaled for readability. Full technical documentation available on request.
Data gaps and limitations
Coverage is strongest for large emerging markets in Asia, Latin America and parts of Africa. Youth NEET and secondary completion series remain patchy in several lower-income states and in parts of the Middle East and Sahel.
The indices simplify complex realities. They do not capture distribution within countries, nuances of informal labour markets or the political choices behind budget allocations. They are best read alongside detailed country work and household surveys.
The Mind Economy series will expand beyond the core 20 as reliable data become available. Future releases will include time series, sub-indices for African and Indian Ocean economies, and technical documentation for independent replication.
The State of the Mind · Mind Economy Indices · 2024