When first starting to explore offshore outsourcing locations for a new operation or project or it is helpful to step back and get an overview of key countries. Population statistics, while not a key determinate in selecting a location, provide a rough sense of the overall resources pool.
It is well recognized that India and China have massive populations, but it is easy to forget their relative size. Other large offshore destinations are only a fraction of the size. Indonesia, the largest muslin country in the world, is only one fifth the size of India. The Philippines, another large outsourcing location is less than one tenth the size.
Top Outsourcing Locations by Population - Figure 1
Source: World Bank (2007)
Eastern Europe remains a popular location for many Western European firms, however all these locations are relatively small. Ukraine, the largest, is one twentieth the size of India. Other key Eastern European locations such as Poland, Romania, Czech Republic, Hungary and Bulgaria are all smaller and are 1-3% the size of India and China.
Locations in the Americas also pale in comparison to India and China. Brazil, the largest country after the United States, has a population of 192 million but is less than a fifth the size of India and China. Mexico, with 105 million people is one tenth the size.
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