Schwab linked to rigging WEF rankings

Klaus Schwab, the 87-year-old German economist who founded the World Economic Forum (WEF), is facing allegations that he manipulated the organization’s annual Global Competitiveness Report to appease powerful countries. Schwab, who stepped down from his role as WEF chairman last year following sexual misconduct allegations, has now entirely severed ties with the forum’s board amid the latest scandal.

According to the Financial Times on April 23, the WEF recently received whistleblower reports accusing Schwab of tampering with rankings and misusing funds. In response, the board convened an emergency meeting on April 20 and decided to launch a formal investigation. Schwab resigned from his position as chair and board member the following day.

Details on how the report was allegedly manipulated have not been disclosed, but the whistleblower claimed Schwab altered the survey methodology to accommodate governments displeased with their rankings.

In a statement issued on April 23, Schwab strongly denied the accusations, calling them “character assassination.” He said, “Some governments have contacted me to update data or correct analytical errors, and I merely passed that information to the research team.” He added that framing this as manipulation is “an insult to my academic standing” and criticized the board for not allowing him a chance to explain himself. He announced plans to sue the whistleblower for defamation.


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