Despite global political uncertainties and a subdued economic outlook, 2019 proves to be promising for the global healthcare industry, supported by growing and more aware middle class, accelerated aging population across the globe seeking personalized medical insurance, and higher R&D budgets across the board. The adoption of digital technologies gives rise to new delivery models in which the treatment of patients moves from ‘cure’ to ‘early prevention’. With slowing global demand as a result of the looming Sino–US trade war, privatization initiatives in Gulf, the elections in India and Indonesia, corporates are being increasingly challenged by the need to invest in technological advancements and the need to find a stable sociopolitical environment in countries. Given these changing global market conditions, Frost & Sullivan leverages an indexing methodology to annually track the competitiveness of healthcare markets across the globe. The Growth, Innovation, and Leadership Index for Healthcare Attractiveness (GIL-H Index) essentially helps identify go-to-destinations for healthcare using a robust data-driven approach, whereby countries are evaluated across multiple indicators under the Growth (G), Innovation (I), Leadership (L), and Healthcare (H) pillars. In effect, this data-driven tool allows healthcare market players to build their go-to country pipeline by evaluating not just size-related indicators (e.g., population and economic growth) but also by assessing the country’s innovation ecosystem through skilled labor availability, education expenditure, patent applications, and by analyzing business environment through logistics efficiency, ease of doing business, and political stability. The ranking process uses more than 50 indicators. The 2019 GIL-H Index, the second edition, ranks 117 countries (with GDP equal to or more than $20 billion) based on their attractiveness; the first edition ranked 110 countries. The index generates country rankings, following the assignment of weights to the G, I, L, and H pillars and to the specific indicators under them. The 2019 version also includes comprehensive scenario-based analyses, namely disease burden scenario, health infrastructure scenario, and health spending scenario; the report uses various weight assignment and rankings to highlight how results evolve as per client requirements. The data model is also supplemented by select country profiles that highlight country-specific drivers and challenges. Country Selection: 117 countries Developed markets and emerging markets: 41 developed markets and 76 emerging markets Regional Classification • Africa: 19 countries • Americas: 21 countries • Asia-Pacific: 23 countries • Central Asia: 5 countries • Eastern Europe: 19 countries • Middle East: 13 countries • Western Europe: 17 countries Author: Rituparna Majumder