ite Selection is pleased to present its fourth annual Best to Invest rankings of nations and metro areas for investment-attraction activity in 2011. The national Investment Promotion Agencies recognized here were particularly successful in 2010 at attracting capital investment projects — both expansions of existing facilities and new projects — from investors at home and abroad.

This year, Site Selection is proud to welcome the participation of Amsterdam-based FDI advisory Investment Consulting Associates (ICA) and its LocationSelector.com FDI software solution, a comprehensive suite of market analysis tools and research used by corporate executives and site location experts worldwide.

The national Best to Invest rankings are determined 50 percent by LocationSelector.com-supplied analysis in these categories — business environment, business risks, foreign direct investment and infrastructure; and 50 percent by new and expanded facilities announced in 2011 and tracked by Site Selection publisher Conway Data Inc.'s (CDI) New Plant Database.

The Best to Invest metros rankings were determined 40 percent by LocationSelector.com-supplied analysis in the areas of business environment, business risks, foreign direct investment, infrastructure and accessibility; 20 percent on an unscientific survey of global site consultants; and 40 percent on New Plant Database projects.

CDI has been tracking project data for nearly six decades. The New Plant Database is the basis of much of Site Selection's editorial content throughout the year. It is the foundation of such prestigious honors as the Governor's Cup (March issue), the Competitiveness Award, Top Economic Development Groups and Top Deals (May), Canada's Top Locations (September) and Top State Business Climates (November). Projects resident in the New Plant Database meet one or more of these criteria: a minimum investment of US$1 million, creation of 50 or more new jobs or new construction of at least 20,000 sq. ft. (1,860 sq. m.).

Site Selection is grateful for the time and information invested into this ranking by ICA, and we salute this year's winning national investment agencies and the metro areas globally that in 2011 could not be beat.

—Editor

Photos in circles (l. to r.): Dublin, Ireland (PD); Budapest, Hungary (Photo by Marc Ryckaert/Naamsvermelding vereist); Singapore (Photo by Adam Jones-Kelley)
WESTERN EUROPE	EASTERN EUROPE	ASIA-PACIFIC
Top Countries 1. Ireland     IDA Ireland     idaireland.com 2. United Kingdom     UK Trade and Investment     uktradeinvest.gov.uk 3. Germany     Germany Trade and Invest     gtai.com 4. Austria     ABA – Invest in Austria     investinaustria.at T5. Switzerland     Switzerland Trade and     Investment Promotion     invest-in-switzerland.com T5. Italy     Italian Trade Commission     italtrade.it	Top Countries 1. Hungary Hungarian Investment and Trade Agency (HITA) hita.hu T2. Poland     Invest in Poland     paiz.gov.pl T2. Slovak Republic     SARIO (Slovak Investment     and Trade Development     Agency)     sario.sk T4. Estonia     Estonian Investment and     Trade Agency     investinestonia.com T4. Czech Republic     CzechInvest     czechinvest.org	Top Countries 1. Singapore     Singapore Economic     Development Board     sedb.com 2. Australia     Austrade     austrade.gov.au/invest T3. Malaysia     Malaysian Investment     Development Authority     mida.gov.my T3. South Korea     Korea Trade Investment     Promotion Agency (KOTRA)     kotra.or.kr 5. Vietnam     Ministry of Planning and     Investment     mpi.gov.vn
Top Metros      1. Dublin, Ireland      2. Frankfurt, Germany      3. Edinburgh, Scotland      4. Birmingham, England      T5. Belfast, Northern Ireland      T5. Paris, France	Top Metros      1. Budapest, Hungary      2. Moscow, Russia      3. Bucharest, Romania      T4. Prague, Czech Republic      T4. Warsaw, Poland	Top Metros      T1. Beijing, China      T1. Shanghai, China      T3. Chongqing, China      T3. Chennai, India      5. Bangalore, India

Photos in circles (l. to r.): Cape Town, South Africa (Photo by Andreas Tusche); Cancún, Mexico (Photo by Mike Liu – Fotolia.com
AFRICA AND THE MIDDLE EAST	LATIN AMERICA
Top Countries 1. South Africa      TradeInvestSA      tradeinvestsa.co.za 2. Bahrain      Bahrain Economic      Development Board      bahrain.com 3. United Arab Emirates      Dubai Development &      Investment Authority      emiratesfreezone.com 4. Saudi Arabia      Saudi Arabian General      Investment Authority      (SAGIA)      sagia.gov.sa 5. Qatar      Qatar Investment      Promotion Department      investinqatar.com.qa	Top Countries 1. Mexico     ProMexico Trade and     Investment     promexico.gob.mx 2. Brazil     APEX Brazil     apexbrasil.com.br 3. Costa Rica     Costa Rican     Investment Board     cinde.org 4. Chile     Chilean Economic     Development Agency     hightechchile.com 5. Argentina     Invest in Argentina     inversiones.gov.ar
Top Metros      1. Port Elizabeth, South Africa      T2. Nairobi, Kenya      T2. Cairo, Egypt      T2. Kinsasha, Congo      5. Casablanca, Morocco	Top Metros      1. São Paulo, Brazil      2. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil      3. Mexico City, Mexico      T4. Guadalajara, Mexico      T4. Monterrey, Mexico

(l. to r. ) VW's transparent factory in Dresden, Germany; South Jeollanamdo Province's first foreign school in Korea; Coca-Cola Hellenic's new complex in Northern Ireland, SP InfoCity in Chennai; GKN Driveline's machining facility in Celaya, Mexico; Iskandar's future HQ, Nusajaya, Malaysia; GCL-Poly's polysilicon complex in Jiangsu Province, China; Moree Solar Farm site, New South Wales, Australia; Covidien's facility in Shanghai; new UN headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya; Siemens City in Vienna, Austria.

Images courtesy of (in order) VW, Invest Korea, Coca-Cola Hellenic, SP InfoCity, Pickard Chilton, GKN Driveline, GCL-Poly, CSIRO, Covidien, UNEP, Siemens.