Six Reasons Why Switzerland Is One Of The Most Globalised Countries


(MENAFN- Swissinfo) Deutsch (de) Sechs Gründe, warum die Schweiz weltweit zu den globalisiertesten Ländern gehört

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  • 中文 (zh) 六大因素為您揭露瑞士為何成為全球化程度最高的國家之一
  • 日本語 (ja) スイスが最もグローバル化した国である6つの理由
  • Italiano (it) Sei motivi per cui la Svizzera è uno dei Paesi più globalizzati al mondo
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    In December, the KOF Swiss Economic Institute – at the federal technology institute ETH Zurich – brought out the 2023 edition of its Globalisation IndexExternal link . It covered the year 2021.

    Once again, Switzerland features at the top of the league of globalised countries, with an overall score of 91/100 (100 corresponds to“total” globalisation), followed by Belgium and the Netherlands, which each garner 90/100. Over the past decade, these three countries have consistently led the ranking.

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    So how can a landlocked country, whose most populated city has fewer than 500,000 inhabitants, be the most globalised?

    Can globalisation really be measured?

    There are different definitions of globalisation, and therefore different ways of measuring it. The index drawn up by the ETH Zurich research centre is one of the most widely cited, as it enables international comparisons to be made and provides an overview of developments since 1970.

    The index combines some 40 variables which consider not only the economic side of globalisation, but also the social and political aspects. All three dimensions are given equal weight in the final result.

    Like any index, it also has its limitations. The choice of variables depends very much on the data available. The KOF has been taken to task for the very idea of establishing a globalisation ranking, which some see as a value judgement or a promotion of the Western way of life. The detailed methodology, the authors' choices and the full list of indicators can all be found on the KOFExternal link website

    End of insertion1. Switzerland is globalised in every way

    Switzerland does not come first but it scores highly in each of the dimensions considered by the index: 86.5/100 (8th place) for the economic side, 90/100 (2nd) for the social side and 96/100 (8th) for the political side.

    Other countries have more mixed profiles, ranking very high in one area but lower in others. Thus, the United States is less globalised economically (66/100) but very globalised politically (92/100).

    2. Switzerland trades a lot with other countries

    The KOF cites the foreign trade levels of Switzerland, the Netherlands and Belgium as a major factor behind their high ranking in economic globalisation. According to the World BankExternal link , exports of goods and services accounted for over 70% of Swiss gross domestic product (GDP) in 2021, which is high by international standards – the average was 50% in the European Union (EU) and less than 30% globally.

    Switzerland's export economy is based mainly on high added-value products: pharmaceuticals and chemicals, watchmaking and machinery.

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    At 60%, the share of imports in Swiss GDP is also higher than the average in the neighbouring countries (31% in France, 42% in Germany and 47% on average in the EU) and worldwide (28%).

    Despite practising a kind of selective protectionism, particularly on agricultural products, Switzerland is one of the most open economiesExternal link , with almost no taxes on foreign trade link

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