The article ranks a total of 145 economies by knowledge potential, a major factor behind international competitiveness today. The classification is based on the Knowledge Economy Index (KEI) and the Knowledge Index (KI) used by the World Bank in its Knowledge Assessment Methodology (KAM). The author discusses the four main pillars of knowledge potential – the Economic Incentive and Institutional Regime; the Innovation System; Education and Human Resources; and Information and Communication Technology. He also conducts cluster analysis (a taxonomic method tool used as part of multidimensional comparative analysis) to determine the boundaries between individual groups of countries. The use of knowledge potential in individual economies varies considerably. Poland, in comparison to highly developed countries, fares poorly and has a lot of catching up to do in this area. What’s even worse, Poland’s position in the overall classification has weakened over the past several years, the author says.