If you were starting a country from scratch and your goal was to make it rich, what's the first thing you would do? Well, what if I told you there is a proven process that can make just about any country wealthy? The United States, Germany, and Norway used it, and now countries like Singapore, China, and the United Arab Emirates are just starting to crack the code.
So today, we're breaking down the 10-step road map for countries to go from poverty to power, backed by the real stories of those who did it. Welcome to Alux, the place where future billionaires come to get inspired. All right, so starting with step one, eliminate crime.
So let's say you're the president of a country and you get a clean slate. You're starting with no economy, no infrastructure, and no wealth, and your only goal is to get it rich. Where do you even begin?
Well, first things first, right? For your little chunk of land to be considered a country, it has to have a government, clearly defined borders, and people living there. But if stepping out after dark means that you end up in the newspaper the next morning, then you need to start at the basics.
For example, look at what El Salvador is doing. For decades, El Salvador was plagued by gang violence, causing millions of people to flee the country in search of safety. But then in 2022, President Naib Bukle launched a massive crackdown on Salvadorian gangs, arresting over 85,000 gang members and putting them in the world's biggest prison.
Within 3 years, they went from being literally the most dangerous country in the world to now one of the safest countries on the American continent. Crazy, but it makes sense. Violent crime is basically economic prison.
It scares investors away, raises the cost of doing business, and keeps entire communities locked into poverty. But now that El Salvador is safer than most US cities, its tourism is bouncing back by 3. 9 million visitors, putting it among the world's top five countries in terms of fastest tourism growth.
All of that potential was just there waiting to be unlocked. Which goes to show that no country can grow while its people live in fear. And that's why the first step your country needs to take to get rich is to get rid of crime.
But here's the thing, okay? Crime doesn't always look like gangsters with tattoos. So the second most important step is to eradicate corruption.
Singapore understood this early on. In the 1960s, it was infested with corruption, making it nearly impossible for businesses to thrive without bribing someone in power. But that's when Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yu stepped in.
So, he understood that a country cannot grow if people in power bend the rules for their own personal gain. But that when a country builds a reputation for fairness, efficiency, and transparency, that's when it becomes a magnet for global capital. When businesses know they'll be treated honestly, when leaders make decisions that benefit the country instead of just themselves, and when the system rewards effort instead of connections, that is when real transformation begins.
So, Lie Kuan Yu instituted a zero tolerance policy toward corruption with strict laws and even stricter punishments for anyone caught doing any shady under the table deals. Today, Singapore is the third least corrupt country in the world. And that is why so many people see it as the ideal place to do business because the game is played by the rules.
But you know, rules and regulations alone are not going to make your country rich. Which brings us to the third step. Build core infrastructure.
Now, China is one of the first countries to understand the importance of this better than anyone else. In the early 1990s, China started spending literally trillions of dollars to build highways, railways, and energy infrastructure. Now, it has over 183,000 km of motorways and 40,000 km of high-speed railways, and the busiest ports in the world, turning the country into a global trade powerhouse.
The result, China's GDP grew from 150 billion in 1978 to 17 trillion in 2023. Now, it's the world's second largest economy, which proves that when infrastructure is strong and reliable, trade expands, industries grow, and a country's wealth scales. I mean, imagine trying to run a business when shipments take months or electricity cuts out randomly for days.
It's a disaster waiting to happen, right? A country can have the best talent and resources in the world. But if people, goods, and energy cannot move from one place to another efficiently, growth hits a wall.
But when a country builds efficient, modern infrastructure, everything moves faster. Trade expands, industries grow, and people get more opportunities. All right.
So once you've built the roads, the ports, the power grids, it's time to focus on the people. Because I mean your country is never going to get rich if your people are illiterate. And that's why the fourth step in this process is to invest in education and human capital.
And the perfect example of this is South Korea. So after the Korean War, South Korea was one of the poorest countries in the world, growing at a painfully slow rate compared to other countries and even compared to its northern neighbors. This was mainly because South Korea really doesn't have many natural resources.
But instead of throwing in the towel, they bet everything on their people, building schools, universities, and high-end research facilities. What happened next? Well, economists call it the South Korean miracle, so you better believe it was good for the country.
Today, South Korea stands at a 98. 8% literacy rate and is one of the world's top 15 economies with over $1. 7 trillion in GDP.
South Korea is leading the way with global powerhouses like Samsung, LG, and Hyandai, proving that skilled citizens build smart economies. That's what happens when you invest in building people's minds. They become innovators, problem solvers, and high value founders.
But this unprecedented growth would have been impossible without their excellent education systems. Now, education is where your country can really start to find its edge in the global economy. But think about it, okay?
It's not actually the country getting educated. It's the people. The thing is, you don't have to wait for your government to build universities to educate yourself.
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Honestly, if you ask us, that is one hell of a deal. All right, so we're moving on here and we've landed at step number five on our country's journey to wealth and that is to monetize your strategic resources. So just look at what's been happening in the United Arab Emirates.
In the 1950s, the UAE was just a collection of small desert communities under British rule with an economy based on fishing and pearling. It was tiny, but everything changed when oil was discovered in 1958. However, unlike other oilrich countries, the UAE took a different approach.
Now, obviously, they started exporting their oil across the globe, and as of 2023, their oil exports have reached $99 billion in revenue. But the UAE's real growth started when the country reinvested all of this money to fund its tourism, trade, and innovation sectors. Today, the UAE is the 14th richest country in the world, driven by sectors like logistics, finance, and tourism.
Oil exports only make up about 30% of their GDP. You see, most nations, even if they have tons of natural resources, never move their economy past those resources. It's almost like they're stuck in a cycle of dependence.
But if you want your country to get rich, you have to use your natural wealth as a launchpad for long-term prosperity. All right. So the next step in making your country rich, step six, is to attract foreign capital.
And few other nations understood this better or earlier than Switzerland. Since it's a small landlocked country with no natural resources to export, Switzerland has built its wealth by becoming the perfect home for global capital. They didn't just tolerate foreign investment.
They were very careful about portraying political stability, legal neutrality, and banking confidentiality that made it the go-to destination for millionaires and huge companies that need to manage their wealth. That's why so many multinational giants from pharma to finance companies and watch makers have made Switzerland their European headquarters. Because Switzerland is more than just a tax haven.
They've built a reputation as a country that plays well with everyone. That's why Switzerland is rich. For your country to truly flourish, it needs to be more than just wealthy.
It has to become a magnet for global companies and serious investors. And at the end of the day, it's about the multiplier effect because international money can go straight into funding innovation, promoting entrepreneurship, and creating highquality jobs for your people. Okay, so moving on here again, the next step on your journey to making your country wealthy is to make smart international alliances.
That is step seven. By now, your country has built a strong foundation, right? You've got roads, ports, educated citizens, and money coming in from investors around the world.
But here's the problem. None of that matters if you're vulnerable. Okay?
Historically, international alliances are game changers, and Germany is a prime example of this. I mean, after World War II, it was in ruins, and they didn't exactly have the best reputation globally. So over the next few decades, Germany made a different kind of investment than most countries.
Not in steel or in oil, but in relationships. Today, almost 90 years later, Germany is one of the central figures in the European Union, NATO, and global trade networks like the World Trade Organization. And the result, they're now the world's third largest economy.
Because that's what smart alliances do, right? They reduce your risks, expand your opportunities, and give you more power. So, look, okay, if you're going to build a rich country, you can't go solo, okay?
You've got to get the band together. And once you do that, your country is starting to make some serious progress now. You're connected to the global economy, but what are you actually offering the world that nobody else can?
If you want your country to get seriously rich, you need to start creating things the world can't live without and can't get anywhere else. And that's why step eight is to invest in innovation. And one of the best examples of this is the Netherlands.
It's a tiny country with barely any natural resources, but it dominates in something far more valuable, cuttingedge technology. There's one Dutch company called ASML that builds a special kind of machine used to make the world's most advanced computer chips. We're talking about the chips that power your phone, your car, your laptop, satellites, AI systems, everything.
Okay, but here's the crazy part. ASML is the only company in the world with this level of tech. No one else in the world can figure out how they built it.
So companies like Apple, Samsung, and Nvidia have to pay them, and they do. They pay them a lot. That's what real leverage looks like.
Rich countries don't just sell raw stuff. They sell what is irreplaceable. So, if you're building your rich country, this is the step where you stop relying on what's underground and start building wealth from what's in your head.
But if you really want to level up, you need something even more powerful. Okay? You need culture.
Because you know, by this point, your country isn't just surviving. It is innovating. But there's one more thing you can export that might be even more powerful than tech.
And that is your culture. Step nine is to build a global cultural brand. And no one has done this better than the USA.
Hollywood movies dominate theaters around the world. Silicon Valley sets the pace for global tech. Wall Street controls the flow of international money.
Even the way that people dress, talk, and do business, it all carries an American influence. That's the power of having a global cultural brand. Ideas travel freely throughout the world.
And when your country becomes the place where people look to for inspiration, leadership, and opportunity, well, you're going to have more influence, more wealth than you know what to do with. And this is how your country can truly cement its status by starting to shape how the world thinks. Okay, so by this point you've solved crime and corruption.
You've built infrastructure, educated your people, welcomed foreign capital, made smart alliances, and even exported innovation and culture to the rest of the world. Your country is as rich as it gets, my friend. But building wealth is one thing.
Maintaining it is another. Because if all of that money just ends up in the hands of a few people, it's only a matter of time before the whole system starts to crack. And that is what the final step is all about.
Mastering wealth distribution. Now, the best example of this is Norway. Back in the 1960s, Norway struck oil.
They could have spent it all. Big buildings, useless highways, private jets for prime ministers, you know, the usual. But instead, they started a sovereign wealth fund, basically a giant savings account for the entire country, and invested the profits from their oil.
Today, that fund is worth over $1. 5 trillion. That's like $300,000 for every one of its citizens.
And the best part, it's used to fund things like free health care, worldclass education, and strong social programs for everyone. And because of this, Norway isn't just rich. I mean, it is rich, but it's also one of the happiest and most stable countries on Earth.
And it proves something very important. If you want to build a country whose wealth lasts for generations, it's not just about money, but about sustainability. And that, my friend, brings us to the end of your journey.
You, Mr or Mr. President, you've made your country fabulously rich. We'll see you back here next time, Aluxer.
Until then, take care, my friend.
