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ORGANIZATION FOR THE SMALLEST ECONOMIES IN THE WORLD
Organization for the Smallest Economies in the World (OSEW)
is a knowledge hub for data, analysis, reports, and best practices, a center for research and consultancy
dedicated to supporting the World’s Smallest Economies
The prevailing global tendency to prioritize large economies, particularly those that constitute the core of the global economy, results in the smallest economies being overlooked. Despite all nations being granted equal status as members of the United Nations, where each of the 193 countries has one vote, regardless of its size, population, economic potential, or level of economic development, the World's Smallest Economies remain largely unnoticed by the global community. They receive minimal attention from scholars, policymakers, and world leaders and only sporadically appear in the media in the context of occasional incidents.
Meanwhile, there are numerous reasons why the world should pay more attention to the World's Smallest Economies, both due to the challenges they face (e.g., limited diversification, dependence on imports, limited access to international markets, limited public and private sector capacity, dependence on larger economies, and environmental challenges), their untapped potential (e.g., human resources, valuable mineral resources, favourable coastal locations with warm climates, pristine natural environments, and unique cultural heritage), and the high probability of their growing significance on the international stage in the near future, driven by increasing integration with the global economy.
Supporting the World's Smallest Economies contributes to the sustainable development of the entire world and helps maintain global stability
In light of the heterogeneity that characterizes the World’s Smallest Economies, which encompasses
significant disparities in levels of economic development — ranging from highly developed
to underdeveloped nations — the OSEW has established the following objectives:
o Increase global awareness of the World’s Smallest Economies
o Promote international cooperation of the World’s Smallest Economies
o Enhance global understanding of the challenges faced by the World’s Smallest Economies
o Contribute to the improvement of living conditions in the least developed World's Smallest Economies
o Facilitate the exchange of knowledge, technology, and best practices among the World’s Smallest Economies
o Provide support for sustainable economic, social, political, and environmental development in the World's Smallest Economies
The concept of establishing the Organization of the World's Smallest Economies was initiated by Dr. Aneta A. Teperek, a scholar and entrepreneur. Aneta's long-standing passion for both science—particularly international economics— and business, supported by a strong foundation
of knowledge, has led her to pursue two parallel paths: academic research and business practice. Following the completion of her master's
degree in economics Poland, as well as executive business programs at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard Business School in the United States, she committed herself to entrepreneurship. Since then, she has founded and successfully managed several start-ups specializing in IT consulting, real estate development, and international trade, while extensively traveling to more than 80 countries. Concurrently, Aneta Teperek initiated research into the nations with the smallest economic potential, being overlooked by the global community. Her focus has been on a group of the world's smallest economies collectively generating 1% of global GDP. This group comprises 93 countries, which is as many
as nearly half of the world's nations. Aneta dedicated her doctoral dissertation, defended at the Warsaw School of Economics in Poland, to the study of these economies. Furthermore, they were the focus of her postdoctoral studies, undertaken at the Polytechnic University of Leiria in Portugal,
as well as her research within the Department of International Economics at the Institut de Hautes Études Internationales et du Développement (IHEID) in Switzerland, where she is currently conducting a one-year project. In addition, Aneta has authored several articles and three books
on the economic development of the world's economies, and the factors that impact their economic growth and development.
The book Economic Development in the World's Smallest Economies - how Geography, Demographics, and Culture Define Economic Activity undertakes an examination of three fundamental factors that impact economic growth and development: geographic, demographic, and cultural influences within the 93 smallest economies in the world. The objective of the study is to assess whether these nations have the requisite environmental resources, human capital, and cultural conditions that are conducive to economic development, and if they effectively utilizes them. The book commences with an overview of the World's Smallest Economies, including a detailed analysis of their location, neighbouring countries, and land area. Subsequently, the book examines elements of physical geography, including climate, soils, landforms, geological structure, and water resources. It evaluates how climate zones, soil fertility, topography, and hydrological systems impact key sectors such as agriculture and transportation; how geological composition influences the availability of mineral resources and the development of mining sector; and how access to sea waters enables opportunities for the development of tourism, fishing and offshore mining. Furthermore, the book explores the demographic characteristics of the 93 nations in the World's Smallest Economies, analyzing population changes from 1970 to 2019 and examining
influencing factors such as natural increase and migration. Additionally, it reviews the demographic structure of these economies, given its crucial role in the economic development.
Finally, cultural aspects— including religion, language, and ethnicity—are analyzed for their influence on the economic activities, with insights into cultural characteristics that can either accelerate or impede economic growth and development of the World's Smallest Economies.
The book Long-Term Economic Growth in the World's Smallest Economies: Historical, Political, and Economical Aspects undertakes a comprehensive examination of the historical, political, and economic factors influencing the economic growth and development of the 93 nations of the World’s Smallest Economies. The book commences with an overview of global economic history, followed by a detailed analysis of the history of the world's smallest economies. The analysis employs a typology that encompasses countries established through colonial processes, those that experienced years of socialism, and those that have functioned as independent states for decades or even centuries. Unique historical experiences were evaluated for their influence on the current economic conditions of each country. Additionally, the political systems are analyzed, as the type of regime—whether democratic or authoritarian—significantly affects governance stability, policy implementation, and institutional effectiveness, all of which impact economic development. Furthermore, the examination was undertaken of the participation of the World's Smallest Economies in regional and international organizations in relation to the benefits of accelerating economic development. A substantial portion of the book focuses on economic aspects, including an analysis of GDP dynamics in the World's Smallest Economies from 1970to 2019, as well as the
annual growth rate of GDP per capita from 2000 to 2019, including identification of the factors driving these changes. The analysis identifies political, demographic, and geographic influences as the primary drivers of these changes. Finally, the socio-economic development of the World's Smallest Economies is evaluated using the Human Development Index (HDI), a synthetic measure that incorporates economic and non-economic factors. The HDI provides a more precise assessment than GDP per capita, as it evaluates not only socioeconomic development levels but also the quality of life.
High Income
Upper Middle Income
Lower Middle Income
Low Income
Andorra
Antigua and Barbuda
Bahamas
Barbados
Brunei
Cyprus
Estonia
Iceland
Liechtenstein
Malta
Monaco
Saint Kitts and Nevis
San Marino
Seychelles
Trinidad and Tobago
Albania
Armenia
Belize
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana
Montenegro
Djibouti
Dominica
Equatorial Guinea
Fiji
Gabon
Grenada
Georgia
Guyana
Jamaica
Maldives
Mauritius
Mongolia
Namibia
Nauru
Northern Macedonia
Palau
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Saint Lucia
Surinam
Tonga
Eswatini
Benin
Bhutan
Cambodia
Cape Verde
Comoros
Congo
El Salvador
Haiti
Honduras
Kiribati
Kyrgyzstan
Laos
Lesotho
Marshall Islands
Mauritania
Micronesia
Moldova
Nicaragua,
Papua New Guinea
Saint Thomas and Principe
Samoa
Senegal
Solomon Islands
South Sudan
Tajikistan
Tuvalu
Vanuatu
Zimbabwe
Afghanistan
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Central African Republic
Chad
East Timor
Eritrea
Gambia
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Liberia
Madagascar
Malawi
Mali
Mozambique
Nepal
Niger
North Korea
Rwanda
Sierra Leone
Somalia
Togo
Yemen
1%
of global GDP
93 smallest economies in the world
70.5% of GDP
12 largest economies
in the world
THE SMALLEST ECONOMIES IN THE WORLD
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