US rises to No. 3 in Accuracast growth index as UK slips to 28th

The United States ranked third in Accuracast’s 248-market International Growth Index despite wars and tariff uncertainty, while the United Kingdom finished 28th. Japan led the ranking, Singapore was second and Iceland reached the top five, highlighting how market demand, digital readiness and advertising costs can outweigh size alone.

Why it matters: - The ranking shows which markets may be easiest to expand into when companies weigh demand, digital readiness and the cost of reaching customers. - The United States combines the study’s strongest search demand with the highest search-advertising costs, which can make growth more expensive even in a large market. - The United Kingdom’s low overall rank suggests that strong infrastructure alone does not guarantee an easy path for cross-border expansion.

What happened: - Accuracast ranked 248 markets in its International Growth Index using World Bank data, Google search demand and advertising cost estimates. - Japan finished first, Singapore rose two places to second, the United States held third, Thailand ranked fourth and Iceland entered the top five. - The United Kingdom placed 28th even though it ranked third for financial infrastructure and scored well for digital readiness. - Accuracast said the rankings were compiled during a period marked by wars and tariff uncertainty.

The details: - The United States recorded 67 million monthly searches across the study’s benchmark terms, the highest total in the index. - China generated 52 million monthly searches, and India generated 34 million. - Search advertising in the United States was the most expensive in the study. - The estimated average cost per click was 232% higher in the United States than in Japan. - The same budget could buy more than three times as many clicks in Japan as in the United States. - The United States improved its score from 2025 without changing rank. - Online demand, digital readiness and financial infrastructure supported the US top-three finish. - The United Kingdom recorded about 13 million monthly searches across the benchmark keywords. - The UK’s weighted Google Ads competition score was higher than those recorded in the United States, China and India. - The UK had the highest competition for online customers in the study, making its digital advertising market especially crowded. - The study recommends that businesses test customer-acquisition costs before committing budget to the UK, especially in crowded search categories. - Farhad Divecha, Group CEO of Accuracast, said the rankings challenge conventional assumptions about cross-border expansion and said the UK should not be the first overseas market companies target.

Between the lines: - The index suggests that market size and brand familiarity do not automatically translate into efficient expansion opportunities. - Japan’s No. 1 finish points to a market can be attractive even without the profile of the US or UK, if multiple business conditions line up well. - The UK’s result reflects a tension between strong formal market fundamentals and intense online competition for customers.

What's next: - Accuracast says the index is designed for early market screening, not as a substitute for country-specific legal, regulatory and financial advice. - Full rankings, country profiles and the technical methodology are available in Accuracast’s International Growth Index report. - The index may be used by companies comparing where to launch first and where to delay entry until product, positioning and pricing are better established.

The bottom line: - The US is still a top expansion market, but it is also expensive to enter. The UK has strong fundamentals, yet intense competition pushes it far down the list.