SA ranked 41st in trade and development index

ED RICHARDSON SOUTH AFRICA has been ranked 41st in the 2005 United Nations Conference for Trade and Development (Unctad) Trade and Development Index. This is the highest position in Africa – just behind Thailand, Kuwait and Chile and ahead of Bulgaria, Argentina and Belarus. South Africa and Mauritius are the only African countries in the top 50, ranked 41st and 47th respectively. The 2005 index, or TDI, ranks Denmark as the world’s most successful trade-and-development nation. Ranking second and third are the United States and the United Kingdom. At number 15, Singapore is the only developing country among the top 20. It is followed by the Republic of Korea at 25, Malaysia at 28 and Uruguay at 33. China, despite its impressive export performance in recent years, is ranked 51st. India, also in the spotlight for recent export-led growth, comes in at number 90. Among developing countries, the top 10 include newly industrialising economies of East and South-East Asia and some Latin American and Caribbean countries. The middle 20 developing countries include 10 from Latin America and the Caribbean, eight from Africa and one each from East and Central Asia. The 10 lowest-ranked nations are from Africa and include nine least developed countries. Trade and
development index 1 Denmark 2 US 3 UK 5 10 15 Singapore 20 30 40 41 South Africa 47 Mauritius 50 51 China 60 70 80 90 India