MBA Destinations are driven by factors like Economy, Post-MBA Opportunities (Salary Increase and Opportunities for Career Switching) and long-term brand value of the Business School. We analyze the top four MBA destinations in the world. These rankings are based on two factors: Economic growth rate over the past one-year and the average salary among the top Business Schools in the country.
Aspirants cite Salary Increase and opportunity for Job Growth as the two major reasons for pursuing an MBA program. Here are our top four MBA Destinations
1) China
Expectedly, China takes the #1 spot by a large margin. Its economy grew at a massive 7.7% in 2012, which is actually a climb down from 9.7 in 2011. While the economy slows as it makes a transition from manufacturing to a services driven economy, China has shown staggering results. It is the world's 2nd largest economy hitting GDP of $11.4 trillion in 2011, and will inevitably displace USA from the #1 spot. It is this projected growth that makes China an exceptionally attractive destination for MBA students and MNCs alike.
China was the world's #1 exporter in 2011, with exports valued at $1.9 trillion. It is also the world’s 2nd largest importer, with goods worth $1.7 billion entering China. The Chinese manufacturing industry is diversifying from the low-cost model to high quality innovation model to meet the demands of a high consumption economy. Other factors like rising wages and an increasing standard of living mean that by 2020, China is expected to consume 19% of the world's luxury goods. In addition, 66% of the globe's middle class will call China their home by 2030.
Innovation in the manufacturing sector and an expected massive growth in the service sector are the main reason why MBA graduates have shown interest in China. For example, Tourism is China's fastest growing industry and accounts for 8.6% of the world market and is expected to reach #1 by 2020. Luxury goods are also a highly lucrative sector. An MBA from China offers high growth potential in both the long and short term.
Finance, Manufacturing/Industrial Products, Consulting and IT/Telecom are the top 4 sectors for post MBA employment. 
Click Here to Read Second Part of the Series - Top MBA Destinations
About the Author
I am Atul Jose, Founding Consultant of F1GMAT, an MBA admissions consultancy that has worked with applicants since 2009.
For the past 15 years I have edited the application files of admits to the M7 programs: Harvard Business School, Stanford Graduate School of Business, the Wharton School, MIT Sloan, Chicago Booth, Kellogg School of Management, and Columbia Business School, together with admits to Berkeley Haas, Yale School of Management, NYU Stern, Michigan Ross, Duke Fuqua, Darden, Tuck, IMD, London Business School, INSEAD, SDA Bocconi, IESE Business School, HEC Paris, McCombs, and Tepper, plus other programs inside the global top 30.
My work covers the full MBA application deliverable: career planning and profile evaluation, application essay editing, recommendation letter editing, mock interviews and interview preparation, scholarship and fellowship essay editing, and cover letter editing for funding applications. Full bio with credentials and admit history is here.
I am the author of the Winning MBA Essay Guide, the best-selling essay guide covering M7 MBA programs. I have written and updated the guide annually since 2013, which makes the 2026 edition the thirteenth.
The reason I still write and edit essays every cycle: a good MBA essay carries a real applicant's voice. Writing essays for F1GMAT's Books and Editing essays weekly is how I stay calibrated to what current admissions committees respond to.
Contact me for school selection, career planning, essay strategy, narrative development, essay editing, interview preparation, scholarship essay editing, or guidance documents for recommendation letters.