The world is a complicated place. Although global poverty rates continue to fall fast, distribution of wealth is still a massive problem. In this uneven terrain, some countries continue to perform strong economically. The nations you’ll find on this list are the world’s richest, helping to grow the global economy and cultivate new opportunities for international citizens.

Here are the 13 most economically strong countries in the world:

1. The United States

The United States is a country so economically strong that so few nations are comparable. The country’s currency rates are as strong as ever. Although the future of the US economy is debatable, today they are still upheld as the world’s standard. Various threats continue to permeate, however, including a divided population, rampant inequality, and racial tensions.

As it stands now, the United States is one of the most economically strong countries in the world. The question is how long will this last?

2. South Korea

South Korea is one of the world’s biggest exports and is a hotbed of foreign investment. The conflicts the country’s had with North Korea has also lent it support from places like the US, Europe, and China. All of this has motivated a very strong, economically viable country with much promise for the future.

3. Saudi Arabia

Say what you want about their track record on human rights, but Saudi Arabia’s economic numbers are impressive. There’s a reason why Saudi Arabia is recognized as one of the economically strong countries in the world. A lot of the wealth in the Arabian peninsula is found within the borders of Saudi Arabia, with prominent oil reserves they continue to exploit, education opportunities, and a focus on upward mobility that some of the other nations on this list have not duplicated.

4. The United Kingdom

In the post-Brexit vote era, things have been a little shaky with the UK. Admittedly, they have become lesser economically speaking. However, even so, they continue to boast strong economic opportunities for the future and London’s still one of the world’s top financial services sector. Regardless of their current political climate, it’s hard to totally count out the UK when it comes to a list of economically strong countries.

5. The United Arab Emirates

The UAE is among the world’s richest countries and is economically strong in large part due to its oil. As one of the most liberal in the region, there are also business, corporate, and finance opportunities found in the United Arab Emirates that you won’t find elsewhere. The area’s stability continues to be a major source for its economic development.

6. China

China is perhaps the world’s fastest growing economy, all things considered. Even though China’s economically very strong as a nation, millions of its citizens still live below the international poverty line. Human rights controversies, limited media freedoms, and censorship problems have at times both protected and hindered its economic development.

7. Canada

Canada is a major energy exporter, has large oil reserves, and through its multiculturalism policy, has attracted some of the world’s top minds in all categories of business. Compared to the US where racial tensions and cultural instability appear to be rising, Canada’s levels remain stable. With an increase on innovation and attracting more immigrants, Canada’s economic strength is no doubt going to continue long into the future.

8. France

As a country, France has a very strong economy with significant tourism revenues among other categories of industry. Although France’s ruling classes are very well off, much like some of the other nations on this list, you’ll find the country’s youth having to face a lack of jobs and economic opportunity. The sad truth about economically strong countries is that what they may appear to be on the outside and in numbers does not apply to every citizen.

9. Iran

Iran has one of the largest economies in the Middle East. However, this country has always struggled to be more than the authoritarian regime which governs the country. For as much criticism Iran has received from western nations, there’s still strong interest in the region primarily because of its oil reserves.

10. Russia

Russia has one of the world’s largest economies, spurred predominantly by investments in the military. In the last few years, this economically strong country has invested 5-6 percent of their GDP on defence, something which continues to worry the West. Even so, Russia’s natural resources and corporate opportunity suggests a promising economic future if they can grow from a socio-cultural standpoint.

11. Japan

Japan continues to be a hotbed of technological development and off that alone, any country could build a strong economy. Add to that their production and manufacturing of cars, electronics, and steel, and you now have one of the largest economies in the world. Japan continues to make the right investments, keeping them strong in the face of competition from other countries. Japan is definitely a remarkable contender in the list of economically strong countries.

12. Germany

Germany is the most populous nation in Europe and has one of the world’s largest economies to match. They are one of the world’s biggest capital exporters, maintain extensive trade with other nations, and boasts various economic opportunities in agriculture, iron, steel, coal, cement, chemicals, vehicles, electronics, food and beverages, shipbuilding, and textiles.

13. Israel

Israel is one of the Middle East’s most economically strong countries, as they’ve been able to contend with political tensions, racism, terrorism, and threats of instability. Despite a population of only eight million people, exploiting relationships with trade partners like the US, Israel continues to remain strong on the global stage.