BAHRAIN is one of the most connected countries in the world, according to a new report by international shipping giant DHL.
It has been ranked third in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) in the fifth edition of the DHL Global Connectedness Index (GCI).
The country also moved up 15 places from last year to be placed 22nd globally, out of 169 included in the study.
Only the UAE, which ranked fifth overall, and Israel (17th) were ahead of Bahrain in the Mena region, based on an analysis of international flows of trade, capital, information and people.
Other GCC countries received much lower rankings, with Qatar 45th overall, Saudi Arabia 47th, Kuwait 57th and Oman 95th.
Bahrain ranked above the US, Canada, Australia and several European countries in the report.
The top four connected countries overall were the Netherlands, Singapore, Switzerland and Belgium.
While Bahrain was placed 22nd overall, it was ranked 13th in terms of its export and import of goods – jumping 27 places in that category.
Meanwhile, the country ranked fourth in the financial freedom category, 19th in the labour freedom category and 39th in the Internet bandwidth category.
It was also singled out for its visa-free access for various nationalities, infrastructure, business operating environment and ease of flow of foreign capital.
The news comes as Bahrain seeks to drive up exports following the launch in November of the Export Bahrain initiative, which aims to increase exports’ contribution to GDP from 30 to 40 per cent by 2022.
“Even as the world continues to globalise, there is still tremendous untapped potential around the world,” said DHL Express chief executive John Pearson.
“The GCI shows that currently, most of the movements and exchanges we’re seeing are domestic rather than international, yet we know that globalisation is a decisive factor in growth and prosperity.”
Other findings of the report state that eight of the top 10 most connected countries are located in Europe, making it the world’s most connected region – in particular for trade and people flows.
North America, the leader in capital and information flows, ranked second among world regions, followed by the Mena region in third.
However, the report debunks the belief that distance is becoming irrelevant – with most countries more connected to their neighbours than to distant nations.
sandy@gdn.com.bh
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