No. 18 Malaysia

Change Since 2008 Ranking: +1

Real Per Capita GDP: $13,538

Real GDP Growth: 4.6%

World Competitiveness Rankings
Economy: 9
Government Efficiency: 19
Business Efficiency: 13
Infrastructure: 26

Over the past five years, Malaysia has steadily increased its global competitiveness. The secret to its success? Keeping overhead to a minimum. The Asian country ranks in the top 10 for both labor market efficiency and cost effectiveness for doing business. That has allowed Malaysia to overcome relatively lower levels of employee education and below-average basic infrastructure.