International Economics Olympiad
| Conducted by | International Economics Olympiad (IEO) Association |
|---|---|
| Exam type | Economics and Finance: 40 MCQs and 5 open questions (4 count); Business Case: team presentation.Source: IEO Syllabus (PDF, approved by the International Board on 31/12/2025), sections 2.8, 2.9 and 3.1 |
| Field | Economics |
| Who can apply | Contestants must have been born less than 20 years before 30 June of the year of participation and must be working toward a high-school (secondary school) diploma or similar degree on 1 December of the year before. They should be citizens or residents of the country their team represents.Source: Regulations of Competition (PDF, approved by the International Board on 30/06/2026), clauses 2.7.3 and 2.7.5 |
| Age / class | Born less than 20 years before 30 June of the year of participation; working toward a high-school (secondary school) diploma or similar degree.Source: Regulations of Competition (PDF, approved by the International Board on 30/06/2026), clause 2.7.3 |
| How often | Held every year; normally an on-site event in July or August.Source: Regulations of Competition (PDF, approved by the International Board on 30/06/2026), clause 1.2 |
| Stages | One final competition with three parts: Economics and Finance multiple-choice questions (individual), Economics and Finance open questions (individual) and a Business Case (team, presented in English to a panel of judges, with public Finals).Source: IEO Syllabus (PDF, approved by the International Board on 31/12/2025), sections 1.2, 2.7 and 3.1 to 3.4 |
| How to apply | Teams represent countries (normally UN Member States), one team per country. An application to send a team can be initiated by any legal entity of any country; the approved Sending Organization selects the team. A team has no more than five contestants and one or two team leaders.Source: Regulations of Competition (PDF, approved by the International Board on 30/06/2026), clauses 2.1, 2.2, 2.5.2, 2.7.2 |
| Result / certificate | Gold, silver and bronze medals for overall individual results and gold, silver and bronze statuettes for team results; special prizes (certificates) may be given; every contestant and team leader receives a certificate of participation.Source: Regulations of Competition (PDF, approved by the International Board on 30/06/2026), clauses 3.3.2 to 3.3.7 |
| Talent category | Olympiads |
| Pathway | National selection by the country's approved Sending Organization > IEO |
| Recognition | Official / statutory body |
| Level | International |
| Achievement | Gold, silver and bronze medals (individual) and statuettes (team), special prizes (certificates) and certificates of participation. |
Economics and Finance (individual, maximum 150 final points): 40 multiple-choice questions (90 minutes; +2 for a correct answer, -0.5 for an incorrect one, 0 if unanswered) and 5 open questions of up to 30 raw points each (155 minutes; only 4 count). Business Case (team, maximum 50 final points): a day of preparation, then an oral presentation in English supported by slides. Individual result = Economics and Finance score + team Business Case score.
Read from: IEO Syllabus (PDF, approved by the International Board on 31/12/2025), sections 1.3, 1.5, 2.8, 2.9, 3.1, 3.2
Economics principles and an economist's worldview
Read from: IEO Syllabus (PDF, approved by the International Board on 31/12/2025), section 2.3, first bulletCompetitive markets (demand and supply, elasticities, equilibrium)
Read from: IEO Syllabus (PDF, approved by the International Board on 31/12/2025), section 2.3, Microeconomics, 'Competitive markets'Consumer's choice
Read from: IEO Syllabus (PDF, approved by the International Board on 31/12/2025), section 2.3, Microeconomics, 'Consumer's choice'Firm's behavior
Read from: IEO Syllabus (PDF, approved by the International Board on 31/12/2025), section 2.3, Microeconomics, 'Firm's behavior'Non-competitive markets: monopoly, oligopoly, monopolistic competition; digital platforms & network effects; pricing in the digital economy (freemium, bundling, personalized pricing, etc.)
Read from: IEO Syllabus (PDF, approved by the International Board on 31/12/2025), section 2.3, Microeconomics, 'Non-competitive markets'Government interventions in competitive and non-competitive markets
Read from: IEO Syllabus (PDF, approved by the International Board on 31/12/2025), section 2.3, Microeconomics, 'Government interventions in competitive and non-competitive markets'Market failures (externalities, public goods, asymmetric information)
Read from: IEO Syllabus (PDF, approved by the International Board on 31/12/2025), section 2.3, Microeconomics, 'Market failures'Labor market
Read from: IEO Syllabus (PDF, approved by the International Board on 31/12/2025), section 2.3, Microeconomics, 'Labor market'Game theory: Nash equilibrium, cooperation and coordination problems, commitments, repeated games
Read from: IEO Syllabus (PDF, approved by the International Board on 31/12/2025), section 2.3, Microeconomics, 'Game theory'Innovations
Read from: IEO Syllabus (PDF, approved by the International Board on 31/12/2025), section 2.3, Microeconomics, 'Innovations'Macroeconomic data: measuring income, inflation and unemployment
Read from: IEO Syllabus (PDF, approved by the International Board on 31/12/2025), section 2.3, Macroeconomics, 'Macroeconomic data'Technology and long-run growth
Read from: IEO Syllabus (PDF, approved by the International Board on 31/12/2025), section 2.3, Macroeconomics, 'Technology and long-run growth'Labor market
Read from: IEO Syllabus (PDF, approved by the International Board on 31/12/2025), section 2.3, Macroeconomics, 'Labor market'AD-AS model
Read from: IEO Syllabus (PDF, approved by the International Board on 31/12/2025), section 2.3, Macroeconomics, 'AD-AS model'Money and the role of banks
Read from: IEO Syllabus (PDF, approved by the International Board on 31/12/2025), section 2.3, Macroeconomics, 'Money and the role of banks'Monetary and fiscal policy
Read from: IEO Syllabus (PDF, approved by the International Board on 31/12/2025), section 2.3, Macroeconomics, 'Monetary and fiscal policy'Economic fluctuations and crises
Read from: IEO Syllabus (PDF, approved by the International Board on 31/12/2025), section 2.3, Macroeconomics, 'Economic fluctuations and crises'Institutions and Inequality
Read from: IEO Syllabus (PDF, approved by the International Board on 31/12/2025), section 2.3, Macroeconomics, 'Institutions and Inequality'Specialization and gains from trade
Read from: IEO Syllabus (PDF, approved by the International Board on 31/12/2025), section 2.3, International economics, 'Specialization and gains from trade'Protectionism: winners and losers
Read from: IEO Syllabus (PDF, approved by the International Board on 31/12/2025), section 2.3, International economics, 'Protectionism: winners and losers'Currencies, currency unions, exchange rates, and Interest rates parity
Read from: IEO Syllabus (PDF, approved by the International Board on 31/12/2025), section 2.3, International economics, 'Currencies, currency unions, exchange rates, and Interest rates parity'Economics of the environment and sustainable development
Read from: IEO Syllabus (PDF, approved by the International Board on 31/12/2025), section 2.3, International economics, 'Economics of the environment and sustainable development'major contemporary questions
Read from: IEO Syllabus (PDF, approved by the International Board on 31/12/2025), section 2.3, Frontiers and evidence in modern economicshow economists use data; natural and field experiments.
Read from: IEO Syllabus (PDF, approved by the International Board on 31/12/2025), section 2.3, Frontiers and evidence in modern economicsIncome, expenses, and debt management, financial goals. Budgeting.
Read from: IEO Syllabus (PDF, approved by the International Board on 31/12/2025), section 2.4, 'Financial Planning'Financial institutions facilitating savings, credit, and payments. Deposits, loans, interest rates, the role of the central bank.
Read from: IEO Syllabus (PDF, approved by the International Board on 31/12/2025), section 2.4, 'Banks and the Banking System'Setting aside money for future use, earning interest. Savings accounts, compound interest.
Read from: IEO Syllabus (PDF, approved by the International Board on 31/12/2025), section 2.4, 'Saving Money'Using borrowed funds with a promise to repay with interest. Credit cards, loans, credit score, interest rates.
Read from: IEO Syllabus (PDF, approved by the International Board on 31/12/2025), section 2.4, 'Borrowing Money, Credit'Allocating money to generate returns while managing risks. Time value of money. Stocks, bonds, diversification, risk vs. return, derivatives.
Read from: IEO Syllabus (PDF, approved by the International Board on 31/12/2025), section 2.4, 'Investment, Financial Instruments, and Risk Management'Risk management through financial protection against potential losses. Premiums, coverage, deductibles, liability.
Read from: IEO Syllabus (PDF, approved by the International Board on 31/12/2025), section 2.4, 'Insurance Contracts and Insurance Market'Deceptive practices to steal money or assets. Phishing, pyramid schemes, Ponzi schemes, regulatory measures.
Read from: IEO Syllabus (PDF, approved by the International Board on 31/12/2025), section 2.4, 'Financial Fraud and Ponzi Schemes'Raising funds from many contributors for projects or causes. Platforms, donation-based, equity-based.
Read from: IEO Syllabus (PDF, approved by the International Board on 31/12/2025), section 2.4, 'Crowdfunding'Digital currencies secured by cryptography and operating on blockchain. Cryptocurrencies, blockchain, volatility, decentralized finance.
Read from: IEO Syllabus (PDF, approved by the International Board on 31/12/2025), section 2.4, 'Cryptocurrencies'The ability to structurally approach the solution of a complex business problem, correctly dividing it into streams (into directions within which the solution of the problem may lie). A good structure corresponds to the MECE principle (mutually exclusive, collectively exhaustive).
Read from: IEO Syllabus (PDF, approved by the International Board on 31/12/2025), section 3.6, 'Analytical thinking'The ability to build correct hypotheses based on the resulting structure, made by analysis; checking that ideas respond to the necessary request, are feasible and have a common and business sense.
Read from: IEO Syllabus (PDF, approved by the International Board on 31/12/2025), section 3.6, 'Conceptual thinking'No case can be solved without simple but fast calculations and more complex models that illustrate certain analyzes.
Read from: IEO Syllabus (PDF, approved by the International Board on 31/12/2025), section 3.6, 'Quantitative thinking'The ability to correctly build a presentation and to answer questions.
Read from: IEO Syllabus (PDF, approved by the International Board on 31/12/2025), section 3.6, 'Communication skills'Tell us which exam you are aiming for and how we can help - we will get back to you.
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