Following its 6th place ranking in the Global Innovation Index, it was recently announced that the Netherlands places 6th in Ernst & Young's World Globalization Index for 2012, which ranks the world's 60 leading economies in terms of how globalized they are.

Top 10 countries
› Hong Kong
› Singapore
› Ireland
› Belgium
› Switzerland
› The Netherlands
› Sweden
› Denmark
› Hungary
› United Kingdom

The report, entitled "Looking beyond the obvious: Globalization and new opportunities for growth," indicates that the overall rate of globalization is slowing down and that globalization is changing over time, as it becomes increasingly driven by technology and the flow of ideas.

The Netherlands rose two positions from its 2011 ranking. According to the report, high-ranking and developed countries like the Netherlands are holding onto their positions as producers and exporters of goods and services to consumers in rapid-growth markets.

This is due in part to the widespread use of broadband internet, social media, digital and mobile technologies, and to continued innovation.

High energy costs and shorter product life cycles are also leading many organizations to shift to near-source operational functions to mature markets.

The World Globalization Index is calculated based on data falling under 5 broad categories: openness to trade, capital flows, exchange of technology and ideas, labor movements, and cultural integration.

Ernst & Young create the annual World Globalization Index as a tool to inform companies' international investment strategies. You can find out more about the index and the methodology used to create it on their website.