In 1960 Singapore's income per person was about a third of the average in Western Europe, and lower than Western Europe's average had been around 1900. Since then the city-state has grown among the fastest of any economy, and by recent measures its GDP per person is about twice the Western European average. The rise came from deliberate policy: export-oriented manufacturing, heavy investment in education, a strong port and a banking hub, and a state that planned industrial growth. Singapore had few natural resources, so its growth rests almost entirely on people and trade.

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.