the best-kept secret in the world

The best-kept secret in the world is the overwhelming centrality of mathematical-logical ability in the modern world. This kind of ability is absolutely crucial in coding, for example. If you don't have it, you can't do it. The countries with more people with a higher degree of this ability are the countries that will be successful; those with few such people, and even those of relatively low ability, will not be successful. It's that simple.