In Forbes magazine’s 12th annual survey of the best countries for business, the United Kingdom grabbed the top spot for 2018.
“The U.K. scored particularly well on technological readiness (fourth) and the size and education of its workforce (third),” according to a Dec. 19, 2017, post on Forbes.com. “Its $2.6 trillion economy is the fifth largest in the world. London serves as the central hub for European financial services and is home to financial giants like HSBC, Prudential and Barclays.”
Forbes created the ranking based on 15 factors, including property rights, innovation, taxes, technology, corruption, freedom (personal, trade and monetary), red tape and investor protection.
The top 20:
1. United Kingdom
2. New Zealand
3. Netherlands
4. Sweden
5. Canada
6. Hong Kong
7. Denmark
8. Ireland
9. Singapore
10. Switzerland
11. Australia
12. United States
13. Germany
14. Finland
15. Norway
16. Taiwan
17. Belgium
18. Austria
19. South Korea
20. Spain