At present, the emphasis in studies on the competitiveness of countries shifts from national to regional. Taking into account the disproportions in the development of regions, as well as the importance of inclusive development for national economy as a whole, this approach takes on special significance. Inclusive development of the territory necessarily requires an approach to ensuring competitiveness and prosperity not as inherited, but as newly created. Assessment of the territory competitiveness faces a number of problems. In this work, the author’s vision of competitiveness assessment’s basic stages, based on comparative analysis, is presented. The conclusion, that increasing the competitiveness of the region should be considered as an instrument for achieving the ultimate goal - inclusive development, is made. Besides, the main problems that arise in assessing the competitiveness of the territories, were determined. It is established that the GDP per capita indicator, used as one of the indicators of the socio-economic territory development, does not fully comply with the modern concept of inclusive development. It is shown that the use of the Russian regional innovation index is appropriate for assessing the innovative component of the region’s competitive potential. The main shortcomings of the use of integrated indicators in assessing regional competitiveness are revealed.