The Top 180 countries contributing to philately, by results of the year 2012

FindYourStampsValue.com has prepared its third research dealing with the activity of the post offices – this time from 180 countries - and their contribution in the development of international philately.

This year some big changes came over our ranking. But first of all we would like to emphasize the following countries: Mozambique, Congo Republic, Solomon Islands, Japan, France and United Kingdom, which issued more than 200 stamps in 2012. It is to single out Mozambique: it issued more than 400 stamps, but ranks only 17 in view of having a really poor website.

Thus, for the first time the first place is won by United Kingdom, the only country scored more than 600 points. Japan ranks second and is for the third time among the top three. Finally, Hong Kong, which held a place in the middle of top 100 during the previous rankings, is now among the top 10 and moreover, keeps the third place.

The top five is closed up by France and Italy, countries traditionally taking the leading places.

We would like to acknowledge the countries which, despite the low positions in the ranking, nevertheless provide philatelists and stamp enthusiasts from around the world best opportunity to acquire stamps on their online stamps stores, these are Guernsey, Hungary, Croatia, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Faroe Islands, Estonia, Denmark, Greenland and Slovakia.

Overall, the year 2012 resulted in about 9500 designs of postal stamps issued, and this impressive figure is to gladden the hearts of true philately fans and collectors.

In this ranking we would also like to mention the countries, whose postal web-sites are among the top 100 of the most visited sites within their countries. These are (in descending order): Isle of Man, Brazil, Dominican Republic, New Caledonia, Algeria, Italy, Czech Republic, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, French Polynesia, Russia, USA, Israel, Lithuania, Slovakia, Belarus, Taiwan, Thailand, Sweden, Switzerland, Canada.

Top 10

Position in 2012	Logo	Country	Contributing Ranking Index
1		United Kingdom	603
2		Japan	568
3		Hong Kong	529
4		France	525
5		Italy	521
6		Hungary	494
7		Marshall Islands	488
8		Thailand	480
9		Malta	478
10		Croatia	469

How this rating has been arrived at:
The Offices were rated by the non-dimensional index characterizing their contribution. It is defined at 60% by the quantity of newly issued stamps in 2012. But not only this: the index is partly formed by the estimation of websites and their internet shops. The index is calculated by the formula:

index(i) = 0.4 х Ai/Amax + 0.6 х Bi/Bmax

where Ai is the integral website and e-shop mark, and Bi is the general quantity of new stamps issued in 2012. All the values were normalized according to the group maximal value.

Here is the full list: Top 180 countries contributing to philately, by results of the year 2012

Position in 2012	Country	Contributing Ranking Index
1	United Kingdom	603
2	Japan	568
3	Hong Kong	529
4	France	525
5	Italy	521
6	Hungary	494
7	Marshall Islands	488
8	Thailand	480
9	Malta	478
10	Croatia	469
11	Liechtenstein	459
12	Guernsey	458
13	USA	458
14	Monaco	452
15	Ukraine	452
16	Mozambique	450
17	Belgium	447
18	Papua New Guinea	447
19	Canada	445
20	Luxembourg	443
21	Faeroe Islands	441
22	Australia	441
23	Spain	441
24	Estonia	437
25	Denmark	436
26	Malaysia	434
27	Greenland	433
28	Romania	433
29	Slovakia	429
30	Austria	415
31	Finland	409
32	Gibraltar	404
33	Poland	403
34	Greece	400
35	Israel	398
36	Singapore	398
37	United Nations	393
38	South Korea	389
39	India	385
40	Ireland	385
41	Czech Republic	383
42	Russia	383
43	Serbia	379
44	Pakistan	378
45	San Marino	375
46	Iceland	371
47	Taiwan	371
48	Namibia	370
49	Algeria	365
50	Vanuatu	365
51	Norway	361
52	Vietnam	354
53	Philippines	354
54	Vatican	353
55	Tunisia	352
56	Dominican Republic	351
57	Congo Republic	351
58	French Polynesia	350
59	New Zealand	349
60	Turkey	346
61	Aland Islands	343
62	St. Pierre and Miquelon	343
63	Barbados	339
64	Jersey	338
65	Uruguay	338
66	Kuwait	336
67	Isle of Man	335
68	Solomon Islands	332
69	Brazil	328
70	Uzbekistan	325
71	The Netherlands	325
72	Tanzania	323
73	Germany	320
74	Mexico	317
75	Sweden	317
76	Switzerland	309
77	Belarus	296
78	Falkland Islands	295
79	Ecuador	292
80	Latvia	291
81	Slovenia	291
82	Argentina	284
83	Lithuania	283
84	Bosnia and Herzegovina	281
85	Morocco	281
86	Kazakhstan	279
87	French Southern and Antarctic Territories	276
88	Mauritius	274
89	Macedonia	273
90	Gambia	273
91	New Caledonia	270
92	Togo	267
93	South Africa	266
94	Suriname	265
95	Bermuda	262
96	Tonga	262
97	Costa Rica	261
98	Chile	258
99	Indonesia	251
100	Bulgaria	247
101	Trinidad & Tobago	246
102	Bulgaria	234
103	Bolivia	233
104	Armenia	232
105	Sri Lanka	225
106	China	209
107	Norfolk Island	205
108	Bangladesh	201
109	Kosovo	199
110	Fiji	188
111	Georgia	188
112	Kenya	187
113	Jordan	183
114	Guatemala	179
115	Uganda	179
116	Ethiopia	177
117	Qatar	175
118	Botswana	174
119	Burkina Faso	174
120	Maldives	174
121	Nigeria	174
122	Portugal	173
123	El Salvador	172
124	Saudi Arabia	171
125	Afghanistan	161
126	Azerbaijan	154
127	North Korea	153
128	South Georgia	143
129	Palestinian National Authority (Gaza Strip and West Bank)	139
130	Moldova	136
131	United Arab Emirates	136
132	Cuba	133
133	Montenegro	125
134	Paraguay	125
135	St Helena	121
136	Ascension Island	112
137	Egypt	110
138	Zimbabwe	110
139	Venezuela	99
140	Brunei	98
141	Lebanon	95
142	Bhutan	94
143	Cambodia	94
144	Lesotho	94
145	Netherlands Antilles	94
146	Turkmenistan	94
147	St. Lucia	94
148	Yemen	94
149	Anguilla	86
150	Liberia	85
151	Iran	61
152	Bahamas	55
153	Oman	44
154	Cayman Islands	43
155	Albania	37
156	Bahrain	34
157	Gabon	33
158	Tajikistan	33
159	Cyprus	32
160	Nicaragua	32
161	Jamaica	29
162	Syria	29
163	Honduras	25
164	Zambia	25
165	Nepal	23
166	Madagascar	19
167	British Virgin Islands	14
168	Cape Verde	14
169	Mauritania	14
170	Panama	14
171	Senegal	14
172	Comoros	12
173	Swaziland	6
174	Peru	0