Trade and Development Index (TDI)- 2005

Bangladesh 3rd among South Asian Nations

The United Nations (UN) has ranked Bangladesh third in the SAARC region in a new index measuring trade and development performance of 110 countries of the world.

Prepared by the UNCTAD Secretariat under the guidance of Nobel Laureate economist Professor Lawrence Klein, the index measures integration of international trade in human development, and is capable of monitoring, benchmarking and ranking the trade and development performances of all countries, according to a message received in Dhaka Friday, reports BSS.

In a first for the UN system, the trade and development index (TDI) uses an innovative methodology to link factors affecting a country's foreign trade and human development. It is based on a total of 29 distinct indicators ranging from structural and institutional factors, to trade process and policy indicators, to human development indicators.

It should be noted that this set of indicators also includes the much discussed perception-based corruption index. Ranked at 59, Sri Lanka leads the South Asian region. India ranks 90th, followed by Bangladesh at number 93, Pakistan at 95, and Nepal at 98. Bhutan and Maldives are not included in the list of countries due to lack of data.

The 2005 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. Other countries in the list of top ten performers include Sweden, Norway, Japan, Switzerland, Germany, Austria and Canada. France is in 11th place, followed closely by Belgium and Australia.

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. Among developing countries, the top-ranking nations include mostly the newly industrialising economies of East and South-East Asia, and some Latin American and Caribbean countries.

The top-ranking Latin American and Caribbean countries are Uruguay (33rd), the Bahamas (34th), and Costa Rica (35th). Among Arab countries, Kuwait leads in 39th place followed by Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt. The 10 lowest-ranked nations are from Africa and include nine least-developed countries (LDCs). South Africa and Mauritius are the only African countries in the top 50, ranked at 41 and 47, respectively.