France is one of Europe's heavyweight economies and typically grows at a rate of 2% a year. However, its national debt is edging ever higher and the State share of the economy is very high, though it has been for several decades. The underlying causes are pensions and healthcare costs. This study lo ...

Thailand is one of the most stable economies in the world having experienced almost continuous growth since the 1960's with only a brief interuption during the Asian financial crisis of the mid 90's. There is a large and growing industrial base but some 30% of the workforce is still engaged in agric ...

Kazakhstan is an ex Soviet Republic that emerged as a State in 1991 and covers a vast area in Central Asia. Most of the first decade of its existence was characterized by a significant economic contraction as the old economic system collpased and a replacement system had yet to emerge. Eventually th ...

Ethiopia since the Millennium is experiencing very rapid economic growth. One of the bottlenecks it faces to maintain the momentum is its very low level of exports but this is also an opportunity if they can be increased. It is still primarily an agricultural economy with the commodities sector unde ...

The UAE has experienced a veritable economic miracle since independence in 1971 and is now one of the wealthiest countries in the world. Its demographic history is unique with the population having increased around 150 fold since 1950. Only 11.5% of the 2025 population of 11.3 million are citizens, ...

Angola won its independence from Portugal in 1975 but the various factions which fought for independence failed to reach an understanding on future governance and a civil war ensued with the Soviet Union?Cuba backing the governing MPLA and the USA/South Africa backing the rebel UNITA. The civil war ...

Malaysia is a diverse country with its population a mix of native Malays, the descendants of Chinese and Indian immigrants in the 19th century and the natives of Northern Borneo. Its territory is a result of the Britisg withdrawal in the post-War period. The popitical system is based on a rotating m ...

Since it was formally launched 2023 China's Belt & Road Initiative has generated considerable debate in the West, not least in the question of debt trap diplomacy. In this study we take a look under the hood to examine what the true situation is. Most important we work from data since the validity o ...

Pakistan is a paradox with a weak economy but ranked among the world's leading military powers (9th in 2024). In the last two decades it has started to fall behind its peers, India and Bangladesh, on social and economic indicators. This study looks at its underlying data and concludes that it is und ...

Since the Millennium Bangladesh has grown at an average rate of about 7% a year with its GDFP PPP per capita having reached US$9k in 2023. Were it to maintain similar growth rates for a further two decades its living standards would be approaching Eastern Europoean levels. Its progress is due to pru ...

Morocco is one of the more stable Middle Eastern / Islamic countries partly due to its Moinarchy which offers political continuity. Growth is generally steady if unspectacular but the country has made impressive progress in social inclusion and housing and is in the process of acquiring a significan ...