Top 21 Investment Destination Countries for 2012-2014. Is your country on the list?

The Top 21 Countries

The Top 21 Countries ranked by international companies as top prospective investment destinations for 2012 to 2014, according to the 2012 World Investment Report by the UN Conference on Trade and Development (Unctad).

The full list (with previous ranking in brackets and with some ranking numbers shared) is:

The Top 21 countries ranked by international companies as top prospective investment destinations for 2012 to 2014, according to the 2012 World Investment Report by the UN Conference on Trade and Development (Unctad).

Unctad’s World Investment Prospects Survey 2012-14, based on responses from executives of the biggest transnational corporations worldwide, forms part of the World Investment Report released in Geneva, Switzerland last week.

The survey indicates that developing economies will continue to enjoy strong foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows in the medium term as they become increasingly important to international companies worldwide.

Top 5

Among the top five prospective investment destinations in the survey, the US (in 2nd place) stands out as the only developed economy.

Of the other four, three – China (1st), India (3rd) and Brazil (5th) – are members of the BRICS grouping of influential emerging economies. Russia, also a BRICS member, is ranked joint 8th with Germany, while South Africa, which joined BRICS in 2011, is ranked 14th together with the Netherlands and Poland.

What is BRICS?  BRICS is the title of an association of leading emerging economies. BRICS members are Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

With the possible exception of Russia, the BRICS members are all developing or newly industrialised countries, distinguished by their large, fast-growing economies and significant influence on regional and global affairs.

As of 2012, the five BRICS countries represent almost 3 billion people, with a combined nominal GDP f US$13.7 trillion, and an estimated US$4 trillion in combined foreign reserves.  Presently, India holds the chair of the BRICS group.

Click here to read the 2012 World Investment Report by the UN Conference on Trade and Development (Unctad).