Future Readiness Indicator
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The Future Readiness Indicator is an indicator developed by the IMD Center for Future Readiness.[1][2][3] It assesses large publicly listed companies on their preparedness for future trends using historical data to compare innovation, resilience, and growth.[4][5] Companies receive a composite score and are ranked within their respective industries.[6][7] It was developed by Howard Yu in 2021 and covers 182 companies across six different industries.[8][9]
| Abbreviation | FRI |
|---|---|
| Formation | 2021 |
| Type | Index |
| Purpose | Assessing preparedness for future economic and technological changes |
| Headquarters | Lausanne, Switzerland |
Region served | Worldwide |
Key people | Howard Yu |
Parent organization | International Institute for Management Development |
| Website | https://www.imd.org/centers/world-competitiveness-center/future-readiness-indicator/ |
The Future Readiness Indicator was developed in 2021 by Howard Yu, with some rankings backdated to 2010 for analytical purposes only.[10] The concept of corporate future readiness has been discussed in management literature as a firm’s capacity to anticipate disruption, invest in innovation, and adapt to structural market shifts.[11][12]
Methodology
The ranking derives from seven primary, equally-weighted factors: financial indicators, projected growth, business diversification, workforce diversity/ESG, R&D, innovation outcomes, and liquidity/debt status, totaling 33 distinct variables.[13][14]
The data is publicly accessible from company outlets, news sources, and thematic reports. Factiva, CrunchBase, Espacenet, Sustainalytics, and Google Trends also supplement data collection.[13][15]
The indicator is calculated by collecting each company's historical data, performing computations for each variable, standardizing criteria data, aggregating variables into main factors, and assigning an overall ranking.[15] Each company is ranked from 1 (best) to n (worst, n=sample size) on a 1-100 scale.[13]
Rankings
Automotive
| Company | 2025[16] | 2024[17] | 2023[18] | 2022[19] | 2021[20] | 2020[18] | 2019[18] | 2018[18] | 2017[18] | 2016[18] | 2015[18] | 2014[18] | 2013[18] | 2012[18] | 2011[18] | 2010[18] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BYD | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 18 |
| Tesla | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 16 | 11 | 10 |
| Geely | 3 | 17 | 17 | 10 | 9 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Li Auto | 4 | 9 | 7 | 14 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Kia Motors | 5 | 8 | 18 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 15 | 16 | 12 | 13 | 16 |
| Volkswagen | 6 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 8 | 5 | 13 | 11 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 6 |
| Toyota | 7 | 11 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| XPeng | 8 | 15 | 6 | 12 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| General Motors | 9 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Ford Motors | 10 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
Consumer packaged goods
| Company | 2025[21] | 2024[17] | 2023[22] |
|---|---|---|---|
| L'Oréal | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Coca-Cola | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Unilever | 3 | 5 | 7 |
| Procter & Gamble | 4 | 3 | 2 |
| Nestlé | 5 | 4 | 4 |
| Colgate-Palmolive | 6 | 9 | 11 |
| Beiersdorf | 7 | - | - |
| Diageo | 8 | 6 | 5 |
| PepsiCo | 9 | 11 | 13 |
| Monster Beverage | 10 | 12 | 18 |
Fashion
In the luxury and fashion sector, the index reported shifts in rankings among major global brands, reflecting changing competitive dynamics in digital strategy and sustainability performance.[23]
| Company | 2025[24] | 2024[25] | 2023[26] | 2022[27] | 2021[27] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LVMH | 1 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| Inditex | 2 | 3 | 8 | 13 | 15 |
| Hermès | 3 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 3 |
| Adidas | 4 | 10 | 14 | 12 | 12 |
| Nike | 5 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Kering | 6 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 5 |
| Moncler | 7 | - | - | - | - |
| Lululemon | 8 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 1 |
| Ralph Lauren | 9 | - | - | - | - |
| Zalando | 10 | 9 | 5 | 7 | - |
Financial services
| Company | 2025[28] | 2024[17] | 2023[29] | 2022[30] | 2021[31] | 2020[29] | 2019[29] | 2018[29] | 2017[29] | 2016[29] | 2015[29] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mastercard | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| DBS Bank | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 9 |
| Visa | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| JPMorgan Chase | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 13 | 12 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 7 |
| Coinbase | 5 | 8 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Progressive | 6 | 12 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| HSBC | 7 | 6 | 10 | 14 | 22 | 21 | 22 | 19 | 20 | 18 | 22 |
| Zurich Insurance | 8 | 9 | 8 | 13 | 8 | - | 8 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 17 |
| Allianz | 9 | 16 | 12 | 17 | 10 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Block, Inc. | 10 | 10 | 6 | 6 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Pharmaceutical
In the life sciences sector, the index identified leading pharmaceutical companies based on their ability to adapt to long-term industry transformation and innovation dynamics.[32][33] Roche was ranked among the top pharmaceutical companies in terms of future readiness, highlighting its positioning within the global life sciences industry.[34]
| Company | 2025[35] | 2024[36] | 2023[37] | 2022[38] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Johnson & Johnson | 1 | 6 | 8 | 8 |
| Roche | 2 | 1 | 5 | 1 |
| AstraZeneca | 3 | 4 | 2 | 3 |
| Novartis | 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 |
| Eli Lilly and Company | 5 | 3 | 3 | 7 |
| Merck & Co. | 6 | 8 | 9 | 9 |
| Bristol Myers Squibb | 7 | 7 | 6 | 4 |
| Sanofi | 8 | 13 | 15 | 16 |
| GSK | 9 | 14 | 19 | 21 |
| Pfizer | 10 | 9 | 1 | 2 |
Technology
The index has also been referenced in discussions of technology companies’ strategic positioning, particularly in relation to artificial intelligence and digital platform competitiveness.[39]
| Company | 2025[40] | 2024[41] | 2023[42] | 2022[43] | 2021[44][45] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nvidia | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 |
| Microsoft | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Alphabet | 3 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| Meta Platforms | 4 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 4 |
| Apple | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 9 |
| Amazon | 6 | 6 | 10 | 4 | 2 |
| Samsung Electronics | 7 | 20 | 27 | 16 | 25 |
| AMD | 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 5 |
| Cisco | 9 | 17 | 9 | 22 | 15 |
| TSMC | 10 | 12 | 21 | 21 | 21 |
Travel
| Company | 2025[46] |
|---|---|
| Booking Holdings | 1 |
| Airbnb | 2 |
| Marriott | 3 |
| Trip.com | 4 |
| Hilton | 5 |
| Expedia | 6 |
| Delta Air Lines | 7 |
| Royal Caribbean | 8 |
| Carnival | 9 |
| Ryanair | 10 |
| IAG | 11 |
| Singapore Airlines | 12 |
| IHG Hotels & Resorts | 13 |
| Turkish Airlines | 14 |
| Hyatt | 15 |
| United Airlines | 16 |
| H World | 17 |
| Accor | 18 |
| easyJet | 19 |
| Travel + Leisure | 20 |
References
- ↑ Cabral, Alvin R. (May 16, 2023). "Tesla ranked top future-proof automotive company". The National.
- ↑ "Roche et Richemont parmi les compagnies les mieux parées à affronter 2023 selon IMD". L'Agefi. 2025.
- ↑ Montebello, Leah (15 December 2021). "Apple struggles to keep pace with Google and Amazon according to new study on future readiness". City A.M.
- ↑ Yu, Howard; Shan, Jialu; Boutalikakis, Angelo; Tempel, Lawrence; Balian, Zuriati (2022-03-21). "What Makes a Company "Future Ready"?". Harvard Business Review. ISSN 0017-8012. Retrieved 2026-02-27.
- ↑ Shan, Mark J. Greeven, Howard Yu, and Jialu (2024-06-05). "Engineer Your Own Luck". MIT Sloan Management Review. Retrieved 2026-02-27.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ↑ Peel, Antonia Garrett. "Four lessons from the world's most 'future-ready' businesses". Management Today.
- ↑ Peel, Antonia Garrett (2024-11-27). "Three hallmarks of a 'future-ready' business". Management Today. Retrieved 2024-12-26.
- ↑ Nguyen, Britney (2024-11-25). "Meta could outdo Google in the AI transformation, professor says". Quartz. Retrieved 2024-12-26.
- ↑ 许嘉怡. "BYD beats Tesla in future readiness rankings: report". www.chinadaily.com.cn. Retrieved 2026-02-27.
- ↑ "Chinese carmakers gather steam as innovation thrives, expert says". China Daily.
- ↑ Yu, Howard; Shan, Jialu; Boutalikakis, Angelo; Tempel, Lawrence; Balian, Zuriati (2022-03-21). "What Makes a Company "Future Ready"?". Harvard Business Review. ISSN 0017-8012. Retrieved 2026-02-27.
- ↑ Shan, Mark J. Greeven, Howard Yu, and Jialu (2024-06-05). "Engineer Your Own Luck". MIT Sloan Management Review. Retrieved 2026-02-27.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - 1 2 3 "Our Research Methodology - IMD business school for management and leadership courses". www.imd.org.
- ↑ Warner, Kelsey (December 15, 2021). "How future-proof are Apple, Twitter and Spotify? Not very, researchers find". The National.
- 1 2 Yu, Howard; Shan, Jialu; Boutalikakis, Angelo; Tempel, Lawrence; Balian, Zuriati (March 21, 2022). "What Makes a Company "Future Ready"?". Harvard Business Review.
- ↑ "IMD Future Readiness Indicator - Automotive 2025".
- 1 2 3 "IMD Future Readiness Indicator - 2024". www.imd.org.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "IMD Future Readiness Indicator - Automotive 2023". www.imd.org.
- ↑ "Automotive 2022 - IMD business school for management and leadership courses". www.imd.org.
- ↑ "Automotive 2021 - IMD business school for management and leadership courses". www.imd.org.
- ↑ "IMD Future Readiness Indicator - Consumer packaged goods 2025".
- ↑ "IMD Future Readiness Indicator - Consumer packaged goods 2023". www.imd.org.
- ↑ "Inditex and LVMH Climb as Hermès Drops to Third in IMD Future Preparedness Rankings - Modaes Global". www.modaes.com. 2025-11-25. Retrieved 2026-02-27.
- ↑ "IMD Future Readiness Indicator - Fashion Industry 2025". www.imd.org.
- ↑ "IMD Future Readiness Indicator - Fashion Industry 2024". www.imd.org.
- ↑ "IMD Future Readiness Indicator - Fashion Industry 2023". www.imd.org.
- 1 2 "IMD Future Readiness Indicator - Fashion Industry 2022". www.imd.org.
- ↑ "IMD Future Readiness Indicator - Financial Services 2025".
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "IMD Future Readiness Indicator - Financial Services 2023". www.imd.org.
- ↑ "Finance 2022 - IMD business school for management and leadership courses". www.imd.org.
- ↑ "Financial services 2021 - IMD business school for management and leadership courses". www.imd.org.
- ↑ "Roche ranks in second place for future readiness among pharma companies". S-GE. 2025-01-01. Retrieved 2026-02-27.
- ↑ "Roche named as the most future-ready pharma company". S-GE. 2025-04-04. Retrieved 2026-02-27.
- ↑ "Roche ranks in second place for future readiness among pharma companies". S-GE. 2025-01-01. Retrieved 2026-02-27.
- ↑ "IMD Future Readiness Indicator - Pharma 2025". www.imd.org.
- ↑ "IMD Future Readiness Indicator - Pharma 2024". www.imd.org.
- ↑ "IMD Future Readiness Indicator - Pharma 2023". www.imd.org.
- ↑ "IMD Future Readiness Indicator - Pharma 2022". www.imd.org.
- ↑ "Meta could outdo Google in the AI transformation, professor says". Quartz. 2024-11-25. Retrieved 2026-02-27.
- ↑ "IMD Future Readiness Indicator - Technology 2025". www.imd.org.
- ↑ "IMD Future Readiness Indicator - Technology 2024". www.imd.org.
- ↑ "IMD Future Readiness Indicator - Technology 2023". www.imd.org.
- ↑ "IMD Future Readiness Indicator - Technology 2022". www.imd.org.
- ↑ "IMD Future Readiness Indicator - Technology 2021". www.imd.org.
- ↑ Warner, Kelsey (December 15, 2021). "How future-proof are Apple, Twitter and Spotify? Not very, researchers find". The National.
- ↑ "IMD Future Readiness Indicator - Travel 2025". www.imd.org.