National Capability Atlas

An open-source initiative to define, categorise and track the drivers of national power, prosperity and resilience — providing a common structure for policymakers, researchers and strategists.

What Is This Framework?

The National Capability Framework is a structured taxonomy of the capabilities that underpin national strength in the modern era. It organises capability across three foundational dimensions — Hard, Soft and Economic — and maps them through Domains, Capability Groups and individual Capabilities.

The framework is designed to be open, iterative and policy-neutral. It does not rank nations or prescribe outcomes. Instead, it provides a shared vocabulary for understanding what national capability looks like across different sectors and contexts.

The Three Dimensions

Hard Capability

Physical and Material Power. Hard capabilities encompass the tangible, material foundations of national strength — from advanced technology and critical infrastructure to defence, energy security and sovereign industrial capacity.

Soft Capability

Human, Social and Institutional Power. Soft capabilities reflect the human and institutional fabric of a nation — education systems, governance quality, cultural influence, diplomatic reach and the social cohesion that underpins resilience.

Economic Capability

Financial and Productive Strength. Economic capabilities describe a nation's capacity to generate, sustain and deploy economic power — including trade networks, financial systems, innovation ecosystems and productive capacity.

How to Use This Framework

Navigate the framework using the five-column explorer. Hover over any item on desktop to drill down through Dimensions, Domains, Capability Groups and individual Capabilities. The detail panel on the right provides context, strategic significance and key indicators for each capability.

• Dimensions — the three top-level categories of national capability
• Domains — major policy and operational areas within each Dimension
• Capability Groups — clusters of related capabilities within a Domain
• Capabilities — discrete, measurable capabilities with strategic significance

Contributing

This framework is open source and community-driven. Definitions, groupings and indicators are updated as the strategic landscape evolves. Contributions, corrections and extensions are welcome through the GINC initiative.

The 2026 edition reflects updated datasets across all three dimensions, with expanded coverage of emerging technology domains and revised economic capability indicators.

About GINC

The Global Intelligence and National Capability (GINC) initiative is a collaborative research effort focused on developing shared frameworks for understanding national capability in the 21st century. The National Capability Framework is a flagship output of this initiative.