Which countries have benefited the most from globalization? (2024)

Chinese President Xi Jinping’s ringing endorsem*nt of globalization at Davos has been widely praised, but it’s hardly surprising, given that China has been its chief beneficiary.

Chart 1 shows that China’s share of world gross domestic product (GDP), measured in purchasing power parity terms, has moved up from 4.1% in 1990 to an astonishing 17.86% by 2016. A big reason for the rising share has been the growth of globalization and trade and China’s emergence as the world’s workshop.

India too has benefited a lot, with its slice of global GDP moving up from 3.6% in 1990 to an estimated 7.3% by 2016. It’s not in China’s league, but it too has done rather well by opening up its economy.

While many will argue that increased cross-border trade and investment benefits all countries, there are nevertheless some nations that have done better than the rest. That’s reflected, like China and India, in their increased share of global GDP.

On the other hand, it also means that the share of some countries in world GDP has come down.

Chart 2 shows that the share of the major advanced economies of the G7 group—Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and US—fell from more than half the world’s GDP in 1990 to 30.9% in 2016. Over the same period, the share of the 28 countries that comprise the European Union was whittled down from 27.6% to 16.8%. You could argue this is very welcome, as it has helped raise living standards in much poorer countries.

But did all emerging markets benefit? Not really.

Chart 3 shows that the share of ‘Emerging and developing Asia’, which includes the heavyweights China and India and the South-East Asian tiger economies, saw their share going up from 12.5% to 31.8%.

But sub-Saharan Africa’s improvement in share of GDP between 1990 and 2016 was minuscule—from 2.8% to 3%. The increase in share of the ‘Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan’ region too was marginal. The share of Latin America and the Caribbean region fell, from 10% to 7.9%. The share of the countries that make up the Commonwealth of Independent States of the erstwhile Soviet Union shrank, as did the share of ‘Emerging and developing Europe’.

It’s well-known that emerging markets now constitute a much larger chunk of the global economy than they did in 1990. Taken together, they now account for 58% of the world economy, compared to 36% in 1990. But what is sometimes not realised is that, apart from developing Asia, other developing countries have not seen a significant gain in their share of global GDP, while many of them have seen their shares declining. In relative terms, Asia and especially China has gained the most from globalization. Small wonder Xi is fighting to keep it that way.

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Published: 19 Jan 2017, 02:58 PM IST

Which countries have benefited the most from globalization? (2024)

FAQs

Which countries have benefited the most from globalization? ›

China is a prime example of a country that has benefited immensely from globalization.

Which type of countries has been most benefited from globalisation? ›

Globalisation has benefited mostly developing countries with the integration between different countries through foreign trade and foreign investments by multinational companies (MNCs).

Who has globalization helped the most? ›

Globalization has benefited an emerging “global middle class,” mainly people in places such as China, India, Indonesia, and Brazil, along with the world's top 1 percent. But people at the very bottom of the income ladder, as well as the lower-middle class of rich countries, lost out.

What countries have had the largest impact on globalization? ›

25 Most Globalized Countries in the World
  • India. International Trade as a Percentage of GDP (2022): 49% ...
  • Canada. International Trade as a Percentage of GDP (2022): 67.3% ...
  • United Kingdom. International Trade as a Percentage of GDP (2022): 68.9% ...
  • France. ...
  • Italy. ...
  • Spain. ...
  • Norway. ...
  • Finland.
Sep 5, 2023

Which countries are in favor of globalization? ›

Top 50 countries in the Globalization Index 2023
CharacteristicIndex value in points
Switzerland90.75
Belgium90.38
Netherlands90.32
Sweden89.01
9 more rows
Jan 9, 2024

What is the biggest benefit of globalization to developing countries? ›

Economic Growth: Because globalization gives emerging nations access to bigger markets, it can result in faster economic growth. Exporting products and services to other nations can increase output, provide employment, and raise GDP.

Has globalization benefited Europe? ›

In addition, the EU is the number one trader of services. Globalisation also creates job opportunities. In 2019, more than 38 million jobs (one in five) in the EU were supported by exports to countries outside the EU. For example: in France in 2019, exports outside the EU supported 3.4 million jobs.

Who benefits from the globalization? ›

Globalization allows companies to find lower-cost ways to produce their products. It also increases global competition, which drives prices down and creates a larger variety of choices for consumers. Lowered costs help people in both developing and already-developed countries live better on less money.

Who has globalization helped the most why is that? ›

Developed industrialized countries continue to benefit most from globalisation because increasing globalization generates the largest GDP per capita gains for them in absolute terms.

What is the world's most globalized country? ›

The index, which differentiates between economic, social and political globalization, is now available for 195 countries between the years 1970 to 2021. Switzerland ranked top, making it the most globalized country in the world, according to a statement from KOF.

Have all countries prospered through globalization? ›

Even so, not all open economies have prospered, nor have all citizens of countries that have globalized. Of course, other factors—including the full range of domestic economic and social policies—also shape countries' economic growth and how the benefits of that growth are shared.

What globalization has the largest effect on? ›

Answer and Explanation: Globalization has the biggest effect on the economy of any country. Globalization is a very significant and huge phenomenon and hugely affects the economy.

How has China benefited from globalization? ›

Here are some of the benefits of globalization for China: Increased trade and investment: Globalization has allowed China to expand its trade relationships and attract foreign investment, which has contributed to the country's economic growth.

Why are countries against globalization? ›

People opposing globalization believe that international agreements and global financial institutions, such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Trade Organization, undermine local decision-making.

Why do countries use globalization? ›

It gives more developed countries access to lower cost resources and labor, and less developed countries access to jobs and the investment funds they need for development. Promoting free trade. Globalization puts pressure on nations to reduce tariffs, subsidies and other barriers to free trade.

Who controls China's economy? ›

Government. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officially refers to China's economic system as the socialist market economy. To guide economic development, the Chinese central government adopts five-year plans that detail its economic priorities and essential policies.

Which group of people has had the biggest impact on globalization? ›

Final answer: Legislators and information technology specialists have the biggest impact on globalization by driving technological innovations and digital connectivity that transform global interactions and economic activities.

Why has China benefited from globalisation? ›

However, China not only benefited its own citizens by opening up to the global economy: its manufacturing prowess and its status as the largest and fastest-growing market in the world in many industries also benefited producers, service providers, consumers, and entrepreneurs all over the world.

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