Singapore ranks second in global connectivity: DHL GCI

Six APAC countries have entered the top 30 in terms of overall connectedness.

Singapore has ranked second most connected country across the globe, according to the newly released, seventh edition of the DHL Global Connectedness Index 2020 (GCI) by logistics services provider DHL and the NYU Stern School of Business.

Six APAC countries have entered the top 30 in terms of overall connectedness, with Singapore 2nd, Malaysia 16th, Taiwan 19th, South Korea 22nd, Hong Kong 25th, and Thailand 30th.

Meanwhile, Singapore also placed first on the depth scale, which measured “international flow relative to domestic activity” followed by Hong Kong at a close second.

"Over the years, globalisation and greater international connectedness have not only raised the living standards and income levels of people all over Asia, it has also helped to keep trade and critical supplies moving during challenging times such as during this pandemic,” commented DHL Express Asia Pacific CEO Ken Lee. “Greater international connectedness drives economic recovery and prosperity, and at DHL Express we have seen how the growth of cross-border e-commerce has built great businesses and improved lives across the region.”

The report also said that "Trade and capital flows have already started to recover and international data flows surged during the spreading pandemic as in-person contact migrated online, boosting international internet traffic, phone calls, and e-commerce.”

The seventh edition of the GCI is the first comprehensive assessment of globalisation amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, tracking international flows of trade, capital, information, and people from 169 countries and territories.