Belgium and Austria most globalised countries - According to the KOF Swiss Economic Institute's (Zurich) Index of Globalization 2008, Belgium and Austria are the world's most globalised countries. The index measures the economic, social and political dimensions in 122 countries over a 35 year period (1970-2005) and is calculated on the basis of 24 variables, the most important of which is the economic index measuring long distance flows of goods, capital and services, as well as customs barriers and regulations that countries set up to defend against globalisation. The social dimension measures the spread of ideas and information, while the political dimension measures the level of cooperation between countries. Belgium and Austria have been number one and two respectively over the last 7 years, followed by Sweden (3rd), Switzerland (4th), Denmark (5th), Netherlands (6th), United Kingdom (7th), Czech Republic (8th), France (9th), Finland (10th) and Germany (11th). The US is 22nd. The five countries least open to globalisation are Bangladesh (122nd), Republic of Congo (122nd), Republic of Congo (121st), Papua New Guinea (120th), Nepal (119th), Nepal (119th) and Sierra Leone (118th). In economic terms, Singapore, Luxembourg and Belgium are the countries most open to globalisation.