UK businesses are optimistic about the prospects for overseas expansion according to accountants BDO.
Some 78% of the 100 UK firms surveyed expected revenue from foreign ventures to grow over the next three years.
However, firms across the world are shunning eurozone hotspots like Spain and Greece, the same survey indicated.
Despite their optimism, almost a third of the UK respondents conceded that they had little choice about seeking opportunities abroad because business conditions in their home market were so tough.
Top 10 investment destinations
Ranking Country
1 China
2 USA
3 Brazil
4 India
5 Germany
6 Russia
7 UK
8 Australia
9 UAE
10 Mexico
It is the third year running that BDO has carried out the survey, which covered the chief financial officers at 1,050 firms in 14 countries, with revenues between $50 million and $2 billion (£30 million- £1.2 billion).
Despite its positive ratings, the UK slipped one place down the rankings of BDO’s favourite international investment destinations, according to the survey, to seventh spot, just behind Russia.
China and the US retained their top two spots, with Brazil ousting Germany from third spot.
While the large developing Bric countries of Brazil, Russia, India and China all scored highly, the troubled southern eurozone members were distinctly out of favour.
Spain was ranked as being more risky to invest in than Egypt, which has just experienced a largely peaceful revolution, while Greece was considered more risky than even Libya or Syria, the survey suggested.
Japan and France also fell further out of favour among the businesses questioned.
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