How Singapore Became the World’s Hub

A lot of it comes down to being a city state. Nearly all the top ten GDP per capita countries are city states. City states have high population density in a small area making infrastructure much cheaper, per capita. Urban productivity and incomes are higher. No long roads, railways or communications to distant locations to pay for, no far-flung rural communities that need services and development, everything is near at hand and supported by many taxpayers.