1. INDIA
Capital: New Delhi
Type of Government: Parliamentary Democracy
Population: 1.17 Billion
Strategic Industries: Banking & Finance, Steel & Coal, Information Technology, Manufacturing, Ports, Agro-based industries, Engineering.
India’s greatest asset is its 625 million plus working population and its widespread use of English as the medium of business communication. Natural resources are abundant as well. Its GDP is set to hit the $ 2 trillion mark by 2015.
Investment Opportunities: Roads, Ports, Power, Railways, Defence, Eco-Tourism, Oil & Gas, Telecommunications.
2. UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND
Capital: London
Type of Government: Parliamentary democracy and Constitutional Monarchy.
Population: 61.40 million
Strategic Industries: Banking, Finance & Insurance Services, Energy, Transport, Tourism, Shipbuilding.
The UK is the 6th largest economy in the world and the 3rd largest in Europe. The Services Sector contributes to its largest GDP proportion at 76.2%.
Investment Opportunities: Agro-based industry, Oil & Gas industry, Finance, Health, Nanotechnology, Environment.
3. FRANCE
Capital: Paris
Type of Government: Unitary Semi-Presidential Republic
Population: 65.07 million
Strategic Industries: Infrastructure services, Telecommunications, Aerospace & Defence, Nuclear Power, Agriculture, Pharmaceuticals, Tourism.
France is the 5th largest economy in the world and the 2nd largest in Europe. It is the EU’s leading agricultural producer and has one-third of all the agricultural land in the EU. It is also the 4th largest supplier of weapons in the world.
Investment Opportunities: Renewable Energy, Trade, Power, Aerospace.
4. POLAND
Capital: Warsaw
Type of Government: Parliamentary Democracy
Population: 38.13 million
Strategic Industries: Energy, Steel, Mining, Machine Tools, Information Technology.
Poland has one of the healthiest economies, post-communism. Since its entry into the EU it has increased its GDP year on year and has shown no sign of contraction despite the current economic recession. In Q3 of 2009, import and export between India & Poland crossed $1 Billion.
Investment Opportunities: Food processing & Hospitality, FMCG, Construction, BPO, Aviation, Biotechnology, Automotive industry.
5. CANADA
Capital: Ottawa
Type of Government: Federal Parliamentary Democracy and Constitutional Monarchy
Population: 33.09 million
Strategic Industries: Service Industry, Mining, Energy, Forestry & Fishing, Agriculture, Manufacturing.
Canada has the 10th largest economy in the world as a member of the OECD and the G8, also has the lowest government debt burden in the world. It is one of the wealthiest nations in the world with an estimated GDP of USD 1.49 trillion.
Investment Opportunties: Minerals and Metals, Agro-based industry, Life Sciences, Manufacturing, Energy.
6. AUSTRALIA
Capital: Canberra
Type of Government: Federal Parliamentary Democracy and Constitutional Monarchy
Population: 22.08 million
Strategic Industries: Mining, Agro-based Industries, Steel, Industrial & Transportation Equipment, Chemicals.
Australia is one of the most laissez-faire economies in the world. It has a high per capita GDP on par with UK, France and Germany. The economy remains relatively healthy and has not been significantly affected by the recession.
Investment Opportunities: Energy, Biotechnology, Advanced Manufacturing, Agro-based industry.
7. BELGIUM
Capital: Brussels
Type of Government: Federal Parliamentary Democracy and Constitutional Monarchy
Population: 10.67 million
Strategic Industries: Transport, Agro-based Industries, Engineering, Automobiles, Glass, Metals, Petroleum.
Belgium’s exports are equivalent to two-thirds of its GNP. One of its greatest assets is a highly skilled, multilingual workforce.
Investment Opportunities: Transport & Logistics, Foodstuffs, Biotechnology, Aerospace, Pharmaceuticals, Automotives.
8. GERMANY
Capital: Berlin
Type of Government: Federal Parliamentary Republic
Population: 82.06 million
Strategic Industries: Iron, Steel, Coal, Cement, Automobiles, Chemicals, Electronics, Agro-based industries, Shipbuilding.
Germany is the largest national economy in Europe and the fifth largest in the world
Investment opportunities: Finance, Renewable Energy, Biotechnology, Medical Equipment, Automotives, Telecommunications.
9. ITALY
Capital: Rome
Type of Government: Parliamentary Republic
Population: 60.20 million
Strategic Industries: Tourism, Communications, Machinery, Textiles & Fashion, Agro-based Industries, Automobiles, Home Appliances, Ceramics.
Italy is the 7th largest economy in the world and the 4th largest in Europe. It is a member of OECD, G8 and ranks in the world’s 8th highest quality of life index.
Investment opportunities: Automobiles, Chemicals, Textiles, Agribusiness, Machinery, Power, Construction.
10. SPAIN
Capital: Madrid
Type of Government: Parliamentary Democracy and Constitutional Monarchy
Population: 46.67 million
Strategic Industries: Tourism, Textiles & Apparel, Shipbuilding, Metals, Automobiles, Machine Tools, Chemicals.
Spain has the 2nd largest tourism industry in the world. Until about 2006 there was a signficant real estate boom in Spain.
Investment Opportunities: Telecommunications, Office Machinery, Automobiles, Pharmaceuticals, Petroleum, Manufacturing, Iron & Steel, Ores and Metal Scrap, Textiles & clothing.
11. THE NETHERLANDS
Capital: Amsterdam
Type of Government: Parliamentary Democracy and Constitutional Monarchy
Population: 16.56 million
Strategic Industries: Agro-based industries, Metals, Engineering, Petroleum, Chemicals, Construction, Fishing.
The Netherlands has a laissez-faire economical structure and the lowest rate of unemployment in the EU at 2.9%. It attracts significant FDI and is one of the four largest investors in the US.
Investment Opportunities: Logistics, Ports, Infrastructure, Communication systems.
12. FINLAND
Capital: Helsinki
Type of Government: Semi-Presidential Republic
Population: 5.35 million
Strategic Industries: Manufacturing, Electronics, Machinery, Scientific Equipment, Shipbuilding, Paper, Chemicals.
Finland has a very strong free-market economy with a per capita income equivalent to the UK, France or Germany. The only Nordic country to have joined the Eurozone, it has managed to avoid the worst of the recession.
Investment Opportunities: Energy, Shipbuilding, Metals, Paper.
13. SWITZERLAND
Capital: Bern
Type of Government: Federal Parliamentary Republic
Population: 7.07 million
Strategic Industries: Banking, Machinery, Precision Instruments, Watches, Tourism, Insurance.
Switzerland is one of the world’s most stable economies and has a very high standard of living. The country’s best asset is its highly specialised labour force and its monetary security system.
Investment Opportunities: Finance, Banking, Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology, Luxury Goods, Transport Equipment, General Industrial Equipment.
14. MALTA
Capital: Valletta
Type of Government: Parliamentary Republic
Population: 413,609
Strategic Industries: Foreign Trade, Manufacturing, Tourism.
Malta has a very productive labour force and one of its greatest natural assets is limestone. Malta depends on foreign trade for most of its food supply needs and all of its energy needs and ranks amoung the EU’s list of affluent countries.
Investment Opportunities: Manufacturing, Engineering.
15. ROMANIA
Capital: Bucharest
Type of Government: Unitary Semi-Presidential Republic
Population: 21.50 million
Strategic Industries: Machinery, Textiles, Auto-assembly, Timber, Mining, Construction, Mettalurgy, Petroleum
Romania has been one of the fastest growing economies in the EU with a consistent annual GDP growth of over 6%.
Investment Opportunities: Healthcare, Construction, FMCG, Manufacturing, Industrial Property Development, Automobiles.
16. SOUTH AFRICA
Capital: Pretoria
Type of Government: Constitutional Democracy
Population: 49.32 million
Strategic Industries: Manufacturing, Mining, Services, Agriculture.
South Africa has a unique 2-tiered economy where parts of it rival most Western countries and some parts are well below basic standards of living. Its greatest asset is its abundant supply of natural resources. Its GDP shows a real growth rate at 3.1%
Investment Opportunities: Agriprocessing, Automotives, Chemicals, Fisheries, Mining, Tourism, Telecommunications.
17. JAPAN
Capital: Tokyo
Type of Government: Parliamentary Democracy and Constitutional Monarchy
Population: 127.07 million
Strategic Industries: Automobiles, Transport, Electronics, Steel, Machine Tools, Non-Ferrous Metals, Chemicals, Fisheries.
Japan is the 2nd largest economy in the world at approximately $5 trillion after the US. Tokyo has one of the highest wage levels in the world.
Investment Opportunities: Banking & Finance, Trade and Services, Machinery.
18. HONG KONG
Capital: NA
Type of Government: Non-sovereign partial democracy
Population: 7.05 million
Strategic Industries: Banking, Textiles, Tourism, Shipping, Electronics, Plastics, Retail.
Hong Kong is a special administrative region of the People’s Republic of China and as such operates under the system of positive non-interventionism. It is one of the world’s leading financial centres and is the world’s 11th largest trading entity.
Investment Opportunities: Trade & Services, Banking & Finance, Aerospace, Chemicals, Consumer Goods, Railways.
19. JORDAN
Capital: Amman
Type of Government: Constitutional Monarchy
Population: 6.32 million
Strategic Industries: Mining, Fertilizers, Petroleum Refinement, Cement, Inorganic Chemicals, Tourism.
Jordan is now classified as an emerging market and thanks to the liberal economic policies of King Abdullah II, it continues to remain a booming and freely competitive Middle Eastern economy and continues to show growth through 2009-2010.
Investment Opportunities: Water, Agriculture, Energy, Health, Pharmaceuticals, Communication Technology, Tourism.
20. IRAN
Capital: Tehran
Type of Government: Theocratic Republic
Population: 74.02 million
Strategic Industries: Petroleum, Petrochemicals, Fertilizers, Telecom, Energy, Textiles, Food Processing Ferrous and Non-Ferrous Metal Fabrication.
Iran’s economy is dominated by its abundant reserves of oil and natural gas which amounts to nearly 70% of revenue. Iran has a highly educated population.
Investment Opportunities: Oil & Gas, Vehicles, Mining, Petrochemicals.
21. BANGLADESH
Capital: Dhaka
Type of Government: Parliamentary Republic
Population: 162.22 million
Strategic Industries: Jute, Cotton, Tea, Paper, Sugar, Light Engineering, Cement.
Bangladesh, while still considered a developing nation, grows at annual rate of 6% to 7%. The country is self-sufficient in rice production. It has a vast human resource base and substantial natural resources.
Investment Opportunities: Textile, Leather, Frozen Foods, Oil & Gas, Power, Agribusiness.
22. NAMIBIA
Capital: Windhoek
Type of Government: Parliamentary Democracy
Population: 2.11 million
Strategic Industries: Mining, Fish Processing, Meatpacking.
Namibia’s greatest asset is diamonds and other deposits like silver, lead, copper, zinc and tungsten. Its economy is heavily dependent on mining. It pursues a free market economy but needs better income distribution. In 2008 the growth rate was 2.9%.
Investment Opportunities: Manufacturing, Power, Transport, Fisheries, Mariculture, Cotton, Minerals.
23. BURKINA FASO
Capital: Ouagadougou
Type of Government: Semi-Presidential Republic
Population: 15.76 million
Strategic Industries: Cotton Lint, Agriculture, Cigarettes, Soap, Gold.
Cotton remains Burkina Faso’s biggest revenue generator and they have some significant gold and manganese deposits. Burkina Faso is trying to improve its economy by improving its agricultural and livestock sectors.
Investment Opportunities: Mining, Agribusiness, Oil & Gas.