Overview

Since 2004 Doing Business has tracked regulatory reforms aimed at improving the ease of doing business in the world’s economies—from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe. Doing Business 2009, the sixth report in the series, found that regulatory reforms are gaining momentum worldwide, reaching record numbers between June 2007 and June 2008. For the fifth year in a row, the Eastern Europe and Central Asia region led the world in Doing Business reforms, with more than 90 percent of its countries making reforms. And the trend is moving eastward as newcomers join the list of economies making the most reforms.

Main findings

• The report identified 239 reforms between June 2007 and June 2008 that make it easier to do business in 113 economies.
• In Eastern Europe and Central Asia, 26 of the region’s 28 economies implemented a total of 69 reforms, leading the world in Doing Business reforms.
• Azerbaijan was the world’s leading reformer of business regulations this year, with improvements in 7 of the 10 areas studied by the report. 
• Africa also had a record year for regulatory reforms, with 28 countries completing 58 reforms that make it easier to do business—more than in any other year.
• Singapore led the global rankings on the overall regulatory ease of doing business for a third consecutive year. New Zealand was second, and the United States was third.