The Netherlands retained its top rank as the world's most connected country and Europe is once again the world's most connected region, according to DHL’s Global Connectedness Index (GCI).
All but two of the top 10 most globalized countries in the world are located in Europe, with Singapore and the United Arab Emirates as the standouts.
The report is a detailed analysis of the state of globalization around the world. The 2016 edition shows that global connectedness, measured by cross-border flows of trade, capital, information and people, surpassed its 2007 pre-crisis peak during 2014.
In 2015, globalization's post-crisis expansion slowed, but the data indicate that it did not go into reverse. Currently available evidence -- still preliminary in some areas -- suggests that the world was about 8% more connected in 2015 than in 2005.
North America is the second most globally connected region and leads on the capital and information pillars, with the United States as the most connected country in the Americas. Overall the US is ranked 27th out of the 140 countries measured by the GCI.
North America had the largest gain in overall global connectedness during the past two years, followed by South & Central America & the Caribbean. Countries in South & Central Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa suffered a drop in their average levels of global connectedness.
Suriname, Jamaica and Fiji were the biggest gainers in terms of rank changes from 2013 to 2015, moving up 23 (112th to 89th), 22 (107th to 85th) and 20 (94th to 74th) places respectively.
Suriname's rise was driven by a substantial broadening of its international interactions, whereas Jamaica and Fiji increased on both the depth and breadth dimensions of their global connectedness.
Nigeria, Togo and Nicaragua experienced the largest decreases in terms of overall rank, dropping 28 (67th to 95th), 21 (72nd to 93rd) and 19 (71st to 90th) places respectively.
The information pillar -- measured by international internet traffic, telephone call minutes and trade in printed publications -- showed the strongest growth over the reporting period (2013-2015).
The gains in capital and people flows have been more modest, while the decline in the proportion of goods traded across borders -- which began in 2012 -- accelerated in 2015.
"Globalization has served as the world's engine of progress over the past half century," commented Deutsche Post DHL Group CEO Frank Appel. "The GCI documents that globalization has finally recovered from the financial crisis, but faces an uncertain future. It is imperative that policymakers and business leaders support an environment in which globalization can continue to flourish and improve the lives of citizens around the world."