SWOT Outlook on OIC Member Countries 2020
Date: 31 January 2022

SESRIC has released the 2020 edition of its Report titled “SWOT Outlook on OIC Member Countries”. The Report provides, based on the most recent available data, specific selected socio-economic statistical indicators on the performance and potential of the OIC member countries as a group in terms of their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.

Enriched with new indicators, the Report uses the SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis approach to present profiles of the group of OIC countries in terms of major strengths and weaknesses they have, and major opportunities and threats they face in various areas. The 2020 edition of the SWOT Outlook reflects the situation of the group of OIC countries in four main sections with easily understandable explanatory texts with on-focus charts.

The Report shows that major strengths of the group of OIC countries include high share of young population, possessing a significant portion of the world’s crude oil and natural gas reserves, and the controlling of 6 out of the 8 primary maritime choke points in the world. The increasing trends in personal remittances, Islamic finance assets, intra-OIC trade, and diversification in export products are some of the major opportunities for the OIC countries that should be transformed into higher economic growth and development levels.

On the other hand, lower enrolment rates in education, higher child mortality rates, underutilisation of labour force, lower annual labour productivity growth rates, lack of sufficient funding for scientific development, and inadequate physical and digital infrastructure are main weaknesses that should be overcome. Increasing external debt, water scarcity and low access to improved water resources and sanitation facilities, rapid deforestation, food insecurity, unsustainable urbanisation, and manmade and natural disasters emerge as the main threats that are likely to impose serious challenges and thus, necessitate urgent countermeasures.

By presenting the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in a comparative manner with the averages of non-OIC developing, developed countries, and the world, the SWOT Outlook on OIC Member Countries serves as a reference material for better strategic planning and policy making at the OIC level.

Online Electronic Version