Introducing the Baseline Profitability Index

Want to invest overseas? Start here.

BY DANIEL ALTMAN | MAY 6, 2013

About the Index

The Baseline Profitability Index (BPI) ranks countries by their overall attractiveness as targets for a generic foreign investment. The index values offer a better idea of how far countries are from each other. In addition to the overall rank, the countries are ranked by the three main components of the index: asset growth, preservation of value, and repatriation of capital. Note that countries whose currencies are expected to appreciate in real terms will rank higher for repatriation of capital, all other things equal. The time horizon envisioned for investment is five years.

BPI RankCountryBPI ValueAsset GrowthPreservation
of Value		Repatriation
of capital
1 Hong Kong 1.23 3 4 36
2 Botswana 1.22 11 29 10
3 Taiwan 1.21 9 20 34
4 Singapore 1.19 2 2 72
5 Rwanda 1.18 17 35 15
6 Qatar 1.16 1 32 77
7 India 1.14 43 56 5
8 Chile 1.14 4 19 70
9 Panama 1.13 8 59 27
10 Ghana 1.13 21 48 24
11 Malaysia 1.13 15 14 55
12 Estonia 1.10 22 28 44
13 Sri Lanka 1.10 33 62 11
14 Tunisia 1.09 55 49 13
15 Uganda 1.09 56 85 1
16 Lithuania 1.09 30 41 35
17 Burkina Faso 1.09 37 80 12
18 Poland 1.09 34 33 38
19 Korea 1.07 28 34 53
20 Bulgaria 1.07 65 51 3
21 China 1.07 12 66 65
22 Czech Republic 1.07 38 47 32
23 Mozambique 1.07 6 73 40
24 Vietnam 1.07 41 97 6
25 United States 1.06 19 5 78
26 Uruguay 1.06 16 39 71
27 Latvia 1.05 27 50 49
28 Slovakia 1.05 35 54 48
29 Costa Rica 1.05 26 75 50
30 Malta 1.05 39 30 51
31 Peru 1.05 49 43 21
32 Oman 1.04 29 46 59
33 New Zealand 1.04 7 1 93
34 Ireland 1.02 20 6 83
35 Morocco 1.02 50 69 46
36 Zambia 1.02 5 76 61
37 Hungary 1.02 67 52 29
38 Macedonia 1.01 82 57 8
39 Saudi Arabia 1.01 51 22 68
40 Canada 1.01 18 3 89
41 South Africa 1.01 59 16 64
42 Benin 1.00 66 86 25
43 Egypt 1.00 87 71 4
44 Bahrain 1.00 60 38 57
45 Sweden 0.99 14 11 96
46 Thailand 0.99 69 36 42
47 Romania 0.99 74 53 23
48 Netherlands 0.99 36 24 82
49 United Kingdom 0.99 44 7 79
50 Finland 0.99 23 15 91
51 Austria 0.98 31 27 85
52 Georgia 0.98 47 63 45
53 Germany 0.98 42 23 81
54 Jordan 0.98 58 64 56
55 Iceland 0.97 25 18 98
56 Israel 0.97 62 9 76
57 Bolivia 0.96 79 95 17
58 Senegal 0.96 64 98 33
59 Serbia 0.96 91 82 2
60 Turkey 0.96 68 55 60
61 Bangladesh 0.96 70 91 7
62 Australia 0.95 10 17 101
63 Dominican Republic 0.95 72 79 22
64 Portugal 0.95 71 25 62
65 Belgium 0.95 48 13 87
66 El Salvador 0.95 96 94 9
67 Kenya 0.95 81 83 19
68 Indonesia 0.95 52 70 66
69 Slovenia 0.94 57 21 80
70 Cameroon 0.94 73 96 30
71 France 0.94 53 26 88
72 Denmark 0.93 32 10 99
73 Philippines 0.93 75 84 52
74 Croatia 0.93 78 74 54
75 Mexico 0.93 86 65 41
76 Japan 0.93 46 12 94
77 Norway 0.93 13 8 102
78 Albania 0.92 92 67 14
79 Colombia 0.92 80 31 67
80 Spain 0.92 77 37 75
81 Honduras 0.92 93 100 28
82 Guatemala 0.91 94 90 26
83 Paraguay 0.91 63 88 43
84 Kuwait 0.91 45 40 92
85 Ecuador 0.91 97 93 20
86 Switzerland 0.91 24 45 100
87 Bosnia and Herzegovina 0.90 98 81 18
88 Jamaica 0.90 99 59 31
89 Kazakhstan 0.90 40 61 86
90 Trinidad and Tobago 0.90 76 44 74
91 Brazil 0.89 54 58 90
92 Argentina 0.89 85 78 58
93 Azerbaijan 0.88 83 72 63
94 Greece 0.86 89 68 69
95 Nigeria 0.86 88 92 47
96 Italy 0.86 84 42 84
97 Ukraine 0.85 95 99 39
98 Russia 0.84 90 87 73
99 Lebanon 0.84 100 89 37
100 Pakistan 0.83 102 77 16
101 Angola 0.77 61 101 95
102 Venezuela 0.64 101 102 97

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Daniel Altman teaches economics at New York University's Stern School of Business and is chief economist of Big Think.