Contact: Adam Bruns, Editor in Chief (770) 325-3491 adam.bruns@siteselection.com 6625 The Corners Parkway, Suite 200 Press Release Site Selection Names Global Best to Invest Locations and Top U.S. Foreign-Trade Zones, Adds to Texas Trophy Case with Prosperity Cup
The rankings are based on a robust index of business indicators including Site Selection’s own corporate facility investment project data from its proprietary Conway Projects Database as well as data from UN Trade and Development, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), IMD, DHL, NYU Stern School of Business, Startup Genome, Startup Blink, OECD, Mori Foundation, Kearney and Milken Institute to recognize the nations and metro areas with the most economic momentum and promise across several world regions. “The U.K. earning top spot in Site Selection’s Global Best to Invest rankings — and London being recognized as the world’s number one metro — reflects what leading businesses already know,” His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner to North America Oliver Christian tells Site Selection. “The U.K. is simply the best place in the world to invest, grow and succeed.” Among regional winners (in ranking order) at the country level are the U.K., Germany and Sweden in Western Europe; Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic in the Eastern European and Central Asia Region; Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and South Africa in the Africa & Middle East Region; Australia, Singapore and South Korea in the Asia Pacific Region; and Mexico, Brazil and Chile in the Latin America & Caribbean Region. Bonus online-only analysis includes insights from Kearney’s 2026 Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Confidence Index, released in early April, as well as additional perspectives from other sources used in the index. In other data-driven rankings appearing in the issue, Site Selection’s inaugural edition of Top Mexican Locations finds Querétaro No. 1 and Nuevo León and Coahuila tied for second place among Mexican states based on project activity, while 10 metro areas qualify for recognition. Texas, repeating first place finishes in the publication’s 2025 Business Climate Index and 2026 Governor’s Cup, earn the Prosperity Cup, which is awarded to the most competitive state based on an index of 10 criteria, including project, capex and job creation data from Site Selection and data from the Tax Foundation and ACT. North Carolina is No. 2 in the Prosperity Cup rankings, followed by Ohio, Georgia and Indiana rounding out the top five. The publication’s annual rankings of U.S. Foreign-Trade Zones, derived from data sets in the USFTZ Board’s annual report to Congress, find Texas, Louisiana and California atop the list of states ranked by FTZ impact. Among individual zones, FTZ 124 at the Port of South Louisiana comes in at No. 1, followed by FTZ 122 at the Port of Corpus Christi and FTZ 116 at Port Arthur, Texas. Also featured in the forthcoming May 2026 issue: the Top Deals of 2025; a new spotlight on projects from top architecture, engineering and construction firms; new research on water use by data centers; a special report on tribal economic development; and industry reports on health tech, the North American automotive sector and defense manufacturing. Additional international coverage includes sustainability as a location factor in Asia; the rise of quantum in the U.K.; and a snapshot of a luxury motorcoach maker in Quebec. Area spotlights include the Georgia Intelligence Report; the I-77 corridor; Gulf Coast ports; and state and regional spotlights on Florida, Iowa, Colorado, Ohio, Arizona, the Great Lakes, Kentucky, Utah, Oregon, New Jersey and New England, in addition to Site Selection Investment Profiles of Fairfax County, Virginia; Montgomery County, Maryland; Pflugerville, Texas; and the State of Tennessee. Charts from the May 2026 issue’s primary rankings can be found below. Full charts and data can be found in the stories posted at www.siteselection.com. Site Selection magazine, published by Conway Data Inc., delivers expansion planning information to a qualified circulation of 42,000 executives of fast-growing firms. Now in its 73rd year of publication, Site Selection is also available via Site Selection Online. Headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., Conway Data, publisher of Site Selection magazine and industry newsletters, in 2017 was recognized as Georgia International Small Business of the Year by the Atlanta Business Chronicle. Conway Data has been a trusted advisor to corporations, government economic development and investment promotion agencies around the world since 1954. Conway Data also manages the Industrial Asset Management Council. (Note: All circulation information is publisher’s own data unless otherwise specified). Global Best to Invest Rankings GLOBAL BEST TO INVEST: TOP 10 COUNTRIES
GLOBAL BEST TO INVEST: TOP 10 COUNTRIES PER CAPITA
GLOBAL BEST TO INVEST: TOP 10 GLOBAL METROS
PROSPERITY CUP RANKINGS
Mexico’s Top Metros (group of 10, listed alphabetically with corresponding state) |
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