A recent survey by U.S. News & World Report on the best countries overall ranked Thailand 26 out of 80 nations and credited our “substantial agriculture sector and competitive manufacturing industry with keeping Thailand strong and growing with low poverty and unemployment rates. It is the world’s largest exporter of rice and a leader in textiles, tin and electronics.”
Thailand also placed at number 6 for up-and-coming economies, number 4 for adventure, number 17 for cultural influence, and number 7 for heritage.
On the overall survey, Thailand placed between two of the largest emerging markets, Russia at number 27 and India at number 25. The top five overall rated nations were Switzerland, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, and Japan. At the bottom of the scale were Lebanon, Nigeria, Algeria, Iran, and Serbia
The U.S. news magazine placed the Thai population at almost 68 million and the GDP at USD405 billion
They go on to say that “Western education and technology have been absorbed into a devout Buddhist society,” though some might disagree with that.
They also correctly claim that “Thailand is one of the world’s most visited countries” just before they incorrectly claim that “tourism accounts for just 7 percent of gross domestic product.” It actually accounts for 17 percent.
Read the full survey here.
