Population Size and Growth Rates It is a well-known fact that China and India are tow world’s most populated countries with the population sizes that have reached above one billion people. However, not many know the other countries are included in the ten of the states with that largest population. This knowledge is crucial for businesses expanding globally and searching for the largest customer bases. The table below represents the list of the largest populations sorted by countries. Country (2015)     Population (millions) China              1,372                 India              1,314                 The United States  321                   Indonesia          256                   Brazil             205                   Pakistan           199                   Nigeria            182                   Bangladesh         160                   Russia             144                   Mexico             127                    (Population Reference Bureau 2). As one may see from the numbers presented in the table, the gaps between the population sizes of China and India and the third listed country, the United States is huge and equals about one billion people. That way, no one could be compared to the two giants and absolute leaders in terms of the customer base. It is worth noticing that the average level of income in the developing countries of China and India is significantly lower than that of the United States, one of the world’s richest states. As a result, in terms of buying capacity, the USA may turn out to become a leader. However, as stated in the description of the product, it is anticipated to be equally popular among the populations with all levels of income. Therefore, China and India keep its leading ranks and remain the most outstanding markets in terms of customer base size. Another set of variables that is crucial for the customer base and market research is the growth rate of the populations of the globe. This data is relevant because the newly developed product is going to be launched all around the world. As a result, the population growth rates represent the increase in the anticipated customer bases. The table below presents the data that reflects the predicted leaders in terms of population sizes by the years of 2050. Country (2050)     Population (millions) India              1,660                 China              1,366                 The United States  398                   Nigeria            397                   Indonesia          366                   Pakistan           344                   Brazil             226                   Bangladesh         202                   Congo, Dem. Rep.   194                   Ethiopia           165                    (Population Reference Bureau 2). The forecasted numbers demonstrate that the two leaders, China and India, will remain at the top of the list but they will exchange their ranks as India’s population is expected to grow at a much rate than that of China. Besides, Nigeria is anticipated to experience quite a rapid population growth which would facilitate its leap from the 8 th position to the 4 th . Some more changes can be observed at the very bottom of the table where Russia and Mexico are replaced by the Democratic Republic of Congo and Ethiopia, the new participants with some of the largest populations of the globe. FDI Confidence Index FDI stands for foreign direct investment. The FDI Index shows the attractiveness of the countries as the targets for the investments from abroad. FDI results in multiple benefits for the host country such as the exchange of new technologies, the addition and