Ease of doing business index (1=most business-friendly regulations)

Definition

Ease of doing business ranks economies from 1 to 190, with first place being the best. The ranking of economies is determined by sorting the aggregate ease of doing business scores. A high ranking (a low numerical rank) means that the regulatory environment is conducive to business operation.

Methodology for Labor & Business indicators

Labor market indicators rely on household labor force surveys, which are conducted infrequently in many countries — annual data for some economies is partly modeled. Unemployment rates are particularly sensitive to definitions (ILO-standard versus national-standard, including or excluding discouraged workers). Informal-sector employment is undercounted in many low-income economies.

How to interpret

• Always check the unit and reporting year before comparing values across countries.
• NULL or "Not available" means the World Bank did not publish a value — we never estimate.
• Year-over-year changes can be driven by methodology updates, not just real economic shifts.