Behind a rustic’s wealth and success are the policies that create opportunities, the individuals who make the efforts, and the history that shapes the environment and prospects.
Globalization has expanded the country’s presence beyond its physical borders and Best Countries 2018 rankings by US News and World Report seek to know the worth of a nation beyond hard metrics.
The report and rankings are based on how global perceptions define countries across a spread of qualitative characteristics and perceptions which have the potential to drive trade, travel and investment and directly impact national economies.
In easy terms, these countries could be best defined as “best countries to invest in.”
Eighty countries were included within the report, up from 60 in the primary rating.
The traits are grouped into 9 sub-rankings: adventure, citizenship, cultural influence, entrepreneurship, heritage, mobility, openness to business, power and quality of life.
Below is the complete list and rating of Southeast Asian countries on this area:
| Rank | Country | GDP (billion) | Population | GDP per capita, PPP |
| 16 | Singapore | 297 dollars | 5.6 million | $87,832 |
| 27 | Thailand | 406.8 PLN | 68.9 million | $16,885 |
| 34 | Malaysia | 296.4 PLN | 31.2 million | $27,292 |
| 41 | Indonesia | 932.3 PLN | 261.6 million | $11,717 |
| 44 | Vietnam | 202.6 PLN | 92.7 million | 6423 dollars |
| 49 | Philippines | 304.9 PLN | 103.3 million | 7739 dollars |
| 63 | Myanmar | 67.4 PLN | 52.9 million | 5804 dollars |
The 80 countries included within the 2018 Best Countries rating had to fulfill 4 criteria over the past two years for which data is offered to be assessed within the study and included within the rating:
# 100 countries with the most important gross domestic product in 2015 or 2014 based on World Bank data
# 150 countries with the best UN Human Development Index based on 2015 or 2014 report.
# 100 countries with the most important inflows of foreign direct investment in 2014 or 2013 based on data from the United Nations
# 100 countries with the most important international tourism receipts in 2014 or international tourism arrivals in 2013 based on World Bank data
Source : https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/overall-full-list
