The past several years have seen significant changes in Jordan. The state is pushing ahead with structural reforms that should provide a sound base for future development, as the economy shows signs of a brisk recovery from the difficult years it has faced in the wake of the global financial crisis.

Bahrain has remained largely insulated from international external risks and has weathered the global economic shocks of the recent past relatively well. At the height of the international financial downturn, for example, the kingdom avoided falling into recession and even achieved real GDP growth of more than 6% in 2008 and over 3% in 2009. 

At an average of 5.1% between 2003 and 2012, Turkey has experienced one of the world’s highest growth rates over the past decade. This was accompanied by drops in joblessness and poverty, as well as gains in school enrolment, home ownership and life expectancy. 

As ASEAN chair in 2013, Brunei Darussalam has a regional agenda to push forward alongside its domestic plans for the year. Chief among its local priorities is developing alternative resources streams in its economy, which has long been driven by its oil and natural gas revenues. 

Located in the westernmost region of North Africa, Morocco has an impressively diversified economy and in recent years has benefited from steady growth. The country has strong trade links with the EU and has a young population – with the median age of its roughly 32m people at 27.3 years – which in turn provides the country with a large supply of available and comparatively skilled labour.