World’s Wealthiest Countries

Posted by rajajang

March 7, 2008

10. Brazil. $1,067,962 million (£0.53trillion).
The only southern hemisphere country to appear in this list. Rich in mining and agriculture. Exports a lot of shoes, cars and corned beef.

9. Spain. $1,223,988 million (£0.61trillion).
Has the second largest tourism industry in the world - go to Benidorm and watch it - and has thriving agriculture.

8. Canada. $1,251,463million (£0.63trillion).
Rich in oil and trees, Canada is the world’s largest producer of zinc and uranium. Also, has plenty of diamonds.

7. Italy. $1,844,749million (£0.92trillion).
Is divided between a rich north, and poorer agrarian south. Has a large base of small to medium-sized companies, concentrating on high end performance - think Ferrari.

6. France. $2,230,721million (£1.11trillion).
A very productive country, with some 2.5 million registered companies. But will declining prospects for France’s youth see it slip down this list in years to come?

5. United Kingdom. $2,345,015million (£1.17trillion).
Phew! The UK has beaten the French. Alongside New York and Tokyo, London is a major hub for international business. Which comes as welcome news since its manufacturing industry has gone down the very tubes it once made.

4. China. $2,668,071million (£1.33trillion).
Due to its large labour force, and a stunning lack of regulations around how they work, China has forged ahead in terms of manufacture. There are three films and one TV series entitled: ‘Made in China’.

3. Germany. $2,906,681million (£1.45trillion).
Rats! The UK has lost to Germany, which has a large export market for cars, chemicals and machinery. High rates of unemployment contradict Germany’s placing on this list.

2. Japan. $4,340,133million (£2.17trillion).
Prides itself on banking, and a manufacturing industry famous for its high workmanship and technological advance. There is one film entitled: ‘Made in Japan’.

1. United States. $13,201,819million (£6.6trillion).
No surprises for predicting the leader of this top 10. An abundance of natural resources and a lack of unions means the country is well-placed to stay at the top. However, the US government is in debt to some $4.5trillion - much of which it owes to Japan and China.