HOW THEY STACK UP

HONG KONG

SINGAPORE

Population

6.7m.

3.1m.

GDP (PPP)

$166b.

$89b.

Per capita GDP (PPP)

$25,500

$28,870

Exports (past 12 months)

$182b.

$127b.

GDP growth (latest quarter)

-5.20%

-1.50%

Unemployment rate

5.30%

4.50%

Inward foreign direct investment (est. 1996)

$2.5b.

$9.4b.

     

Competitiveness ranking (53 economies)

   

overall

No. 2

No. 1

government role in economy

No. 1

No. 2

quality of financial system

No. 3

No. 2

openness to trade & investment

No. 4

No. 3

quality of infrastructure

No. 1

No. 2

computer usage, quality of

   

research & development

No. 17

No. 2

quality of business management

No. 14

No. 7

labor costs and efficiency,

   

quality of education

No. 2

No. 1

legal institutions, absence of

   

graft and organized crime

No. 7

No. 1

 

PPP stands for purchasing power parity, which takes into account price differences between countries. Sources: The Global Competitiveness Report 1998 and Asiaweek Research