Singapore kept its top ranking for the third year in a row as the easiest place in the world to do business.

The Asian city-state edged out New Zealand and the United States in the 'Doing Business 2009' ranking.

Along with Hong Kong, South Korea and Taiwan, Singapore is one of the Four Asian Tigers.

Singapore’s economy depends heavily on exports refining imported goods, especially in manufacturing.

Thousands of foreign expatriates work here in multi-national corporations. The city-state employs thousands of blue-collared workers across the globe.

Image: Visitors wait outside Sri Mariamman Temple in the heart of Singapore's Chinatown. | Photograph: Roslan Rahman/AFP/Getty Images