Issues related to national competitiveness have been the subject of research in most economic theories since A. Smith, and there is still an extreme ambiguity of opinions in the scientific and political community on issues related to the creation and maintenance of the competitiveness of states. The purpose of this paper is to consider different approaches to the definition of the national competitiveness concept and to trace their relationship with the main theoretical schools in the field of World / International Trade, Macroeconomic Development and Economic Growth.