Other Chinese developers are taking similar steps abroad, building vacation homes in Southeast Asia, resorts in South Korea and high-rise condos in New York and Sydney.

FORBES: Building Out (of China): Property Tycoons Follow Wealthy Customers Overseas

Some regions, South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, still rank high whichever index is used.

ECONOMIST: Good-bye to poverty, maybe, perhaps

According to the Gates Foundation website, the focus of the family planning initiative will be on urban areas in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, areas where maternal and infant mortality rates are high and contraception use is low.

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But such forward thinking has transformed South Korea from one of the poorest countries in Asia to an advanced high-tech economy that's home to major tech firms like Samsung and LG, as well as the most wired population on the planet.

CNN: Future tech and puppy love in South Korea

One reason is the high incidence of migration from poor, rural parts of South Asia, such as Mirpur in Kashmir and Sylhet in Bangladesh.

ECONOMIST: Islam in Britain and South Asia

No, the payoff (potentially) comes when the larger airline establishes itself in new routes, mainly in potential high-growth markets like the Midwest and Deep South, along with Asia.

FORBES: Long-Haul Investing