Morocco ranked most globalized country in Africa - Swiss Institute

Morocco is the most globalized country in Africa, according to the Swiss economic institute KOF 2016 Globalization index.

The North African nation is however ranked 57th in the world followed by Mauritius (58th worldwide), South Africa (61st), Egypt (66th), and Tunisia (81st) which rounds up the top five most globalised countries in Africa.

According to the survey, the Netherlands was the most globalised country in the world, closely followed by Ireland in second and Belgium in third place. The same three countries occupied the first three places in the previous year’s globalization ranking.

Austria remained in fourth place while Switzerland moved up two places to fifth, relegating Singapore to sixth place. Denmark advanced one place to seventh rank, followed by Sweden, which fell two places to eighth. The ninth and tenth places were occupied by Hungary and Canada.

The KOF 2016 Globalization index is primarily based on the economic dimension of globalization, with particular reference to the extent of cross-border trade, investment and revenue flows in relation to Gross Domestic Product (GDP), as well as the impact of trade and capital transaction restrictions.

The index also takes into account the social dimension of globalization, which is categorized into several telecommunication mediums, including the fluidity cross-border contacts in the form of telephone calls and letters.

Additionally, the size of the resident foreign population, tourist flows, the media accessibility (both foreign and domestic), and openness to international business all affect the ratings.