The scope and competencies of accreditation have evolved significantly over the past decades. Accreditation bodies (ABs) demonstrate their competence by participating in international arrangements such as the IAF Multilateral Recognition Arrangement (MLA) and the ILAC Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA). Building on this foundation, we introduce the Global Accreditation Experience Index (GAEI), a novel indicator to assess an economy’s accreditation capability.

GAEI: Concept and Calculation

The GAEI reflects the number of accreditation scopes ABs cover in an economy and the duration of their coverage. We have calculated these values from 2000 to the present to show the evolution of accreditation in 120 economies. The index includes scopes covered by the IAF MLA, such as product certification (ISO/IEC 17065), management system certification (ISO/IEC 17021-1), personnel certification (ISO/IEC 17024) and validation and verification (ISO/IEC 17029). For the ILAC MRA, the scopes include Calibration Laboratories (ISO/IEC 17025), Testing Laboratories (ISO/IEC 17025), Medical Devices (ISO 15189), Inspection Bodies (ISO/IEC 17020), Proficiency Testing Providers (ISO/IEC 17043) and Reference Material Producers (ISO 17034).

Weights were applied based on the length of time since each scope was added to the MLA or MRA, with more weight given to longer established scopes. This weighted approach will allow for a time series of accreditation experience and coverage, providing a comprehensive view of accreditation development over two decades.

Findings and Insights

Figure 1 plots the GAEI and accreditation coverage scores. Economies such as Georgia and Latvia score high in accreditation coverage but lower in GAEI, reflecting recent accession to the IAF or ILAC arrangements with coverage in multiple scopes. Conversely, Argentina and Vietnam score high in GAEI but low in coverage, reflecting longstanding accreditation experience in fewer scopes. High-income economies with significant trade volumes dominate the upper right quadrant of the graph, with extensive scope coverage over a long time.

Correlations with economic indicators

The correlations between accreditation metrics and economic indicators shown in Table 1 reveal strong positive relationships between GAEI, accreditation coverage and the Global Quality Infrastructure Index (GQII), particularly its accreditation component. This is not surprising since the GQII considers, among other factors, IAF and ILAC memberships. In addition, there are strong correlations between the GAEI, GDP per capita, imports and exports, highlighting the role of accreditation in promoting trade and economic growth. Moderate correlations with accreditation coverage suggest that while broader coverage benefits trade, its impact depends on sectoral focus and institutional capacity.

Implications for Accreditation Development

The GAEI provides valuable insights into the global development of accreditation. Economies with higher GAEI scores often enjoy greater institutional trust and long-term trade relationships, underscoring the importance of sustained commitment to accreditation. Broader scope coverage, while beneficial, requires alignment with trade priorities and a willingness to use these scopes effectively. Factors such as trade volume, economic size and population also influence the impact of accreditation.

Conclusion

By using signatory data and scope coverage, the GAEI offers a new perspective on measuring accreditation capabilities globally. This index opens new possibilities for understanding international accreditation developments and promoting informed dialogue within the accreditation community. Stakeholder feedback will further refine this approach and support the role of accreditation in improving global trade and quality infrastructure systems.

Table 1: Correlations Results

Significance levels: *p ≤ 0.05, **p ≤ 0.01, ***p ≤ 0.001

Figure 1: Mapping Accreditation Experience by Accreditation Coverage

Table 2: The global accreditation experience index and accreditation coverage scores