World Bank rates ease of commerce in 175 countries

InTech, Oct 2006

Recall the measurement and control axiom, "You have to measure a parameter before you can control it."

The World Bank released its annual Doing Business report, which measures and evaluates countries' regulations and environments for manufacturing and conducting business.

The study measures quantitative indicators across 175 economies from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe.

This year the report ranks Singapore first on the ease of doing business. New Zealand moved to second place after two years at the top spot.

By publishing comparative data, the International Finance Corporation and the World Bank give governments and their policymakers the ability to measure their regulatory performance versus other countries, learn from global best practices, and prioritize reforms.

Many governments now compete to improve their rankings on the ease of doing business. Georgia, for example, has used the indicators as benchmarks for its progress, and it emerged as the top reformer worldwide in 2006 and is now 37th on the list overall.