The Panama paradox: top in trade but down on ranking

Panama was the Central American nation that slipped fastest in the ranking of the new World Economic Forum Index of Competitivity from last year's edition. However, at 4.8 percent, Panama is currently leading economic growth in the region.

And there is another paradox. Honduras was the only country in Central America whose rank in the index approved. However, it lies at number 101 of the 140 countries that form the index.

The ranking emphasizes the huge gulf that lies in the index between Costa Rica (at number 55) and Panama (64) while, on the other, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua formed a cluster around the 100 mark.