Unctad's World Investment Prospects Survey 2012– 14, based on responses from executives of the biggest transnational corporations’ worldwide, formed part of the World Investment Report released in Geneva, Switzerland, on 5 July 2012.

The survey indicates that developing economies will continue to enjoy strong foreign direct investment inflows in the medium term as they become increasingly important to international companies worldwide.

Among the top five prospective investment destinations in the survey, the United States of America (in second place) stands out as the only developed economy. Of the other four, three – China (first), India (third) and Brazil (fifth) – are members of the BRICS grouping of influential emerging economies. Russia, also a BRICS member, is ranked joint eighth with Germany, while South Africa, which joined BRICS in 2011, is ranked 14th together with the Netherlands and Poland.