*** Bahrain fifth best Arab country in global connectedness index | THE DAILY TRIBUNE | KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN

Bahrain fifth best Arab country in global connectedness index

TDT | Manama                                               

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com     

Reported by Julia Cassano

Bahrain ranks fifth in the Arab world and 53rd globally overall amongst 171 countries in the DHL Global Connectedness Index 2022 in the field of logistics, labeling the Kingdom as a competitive market.

The in-depth report analyses data from over 170 countries, revealing how goods, people, capital, and information move around the world and providing an in-depth review of the state of globalization and its prospects.

Additionally, the report measures trade flows, capital, population, and communication. The report states that the normalization of relations between Israel, the UAE, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco, as well as the UAE-Israel 2022 free trade agreement, signals greater diplomatic integration and cooperation among some countries within the region.

East Asia and the Pacific, the Middle East, and North Africa rank fourth on overall connectedness, behind Europe and North America; however, all regions listed above lie above the world average in average overall global connectedness, depth, and breadth by region, according to the index.

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The index says that the region has its strongest ties in the trade and people pillars, ranking second in both. However, on average, countries in the Middle East and North Africa offer lower levels of global connectedness based on their structural factors. The index states that this is due to one pillar, information.

Despite the pillar of information, the region outperforms the remaining three pillars. Qatar ranked 10th and the UAE fourth for countries with the largest connectedness increase since 2001–2021, and the UAE ranked sixth in terms of overall global connectedness.

The index highlighted that the UAE (the most globally connected country in the Middle East), significantly increased its connectedness through a multifaceted economic development strategy regarding international shipping, air connections, tourism, and finance.