New Delhi, Oct. 24 (PTI): India is the second least “globalised” nation, according to AT Kearney’s foreign policy globalisation index 2007.

The country holds the 71st position among 72 countries. Singapore tops the list for the third consecutive year, followed by Hong Kong, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Ireland.

India is down 10 places from its 61st position in 2006. Then, too, the country was placed at the second-to-last position in a list of 62 nations. This year 10 countries made their debut on the index and all of them have ranks higher than India.

“India’s standing as a premier offshore destination with a booming economy often masks the fact that 70 per cent of its population lives in rural areas,” a joint report by AT Kearney and the US-based magazine Foreign Policy said.

Only 5 per cent of the population had access to the Internet, though the number of users had doubled in 2005. Less than half of the population was attached to the power grid.

The globalisation index is an annual study that assesses the extent to which nations are becoming globally connected. It takes into account 12 variables grouped into four categories — economic integration, personal contact, technological connectivity and political engagement.

The Netherlands is up four places. The US, however, dropped four places to the seventh slot, despite its strength in the index’s technology score. Index newcomers Jordan and Estonia ranks ninth and tenth, respectively.

China, the world’s fastest growing economy, falls 15 places to 66. “China’s decline is in part a result of lower trade growth compared with the previous year as the country shifts its emphasis to domestic demand-led growth over export-led growth, and a decline in the political index because of smaller contributions to the UN peacekeeping operations,” the report said.

The lone ranker behind India is Iran. The index accounts for 97 per cent of the world’s gross domestic product and 88 per cent of the world’s population.