Doing Business 2012

A unique collection of regulatory measures and indicators Doing Business 2012 measures regulations in 183 countries and identifies practices that enhance and those that constrain business activity. The 11 indicators measured and analyzed in Doing Business 2012 include:

1 Starting a business

» steps, time, cost, and minimum capital to register a new business

2 Dealing with construction permits

» steps, time, and cost of business inspections and licensing

3 Registering property

» steps, time, and cost to transfer ownership of commercial real estate

4 Getting credit

» extent of credit information sharing and creditor rights

5 Protecting investors

» indices on disclosure, investor suits, and standing in court

6 Paying taxes

» statutory rates, number of taxes paid,

number of hours spent on preparing tax returns

7 Trading across borders

» steps, time, and number of documents necessary to export and import

8

Enforcing contracts

» steps, time, and cost to enforce a commercial contract

9 Closing a business

» steps, time, and cost to close down a business » recovery rate for creditor

10 Getting electricity

» procedures, time, and cost of getting electricity

11 Employing workers

» indices of employment law rigidities » cost of economic redundancies

Doing Business Goes Mobile Free iPhone Application!

Doing Business at a Glance draws on the data and information from the Doing Business project, giving you portable access to the most recent rankings and data from 2011 and 2012, without the need for an Internet connection. Doing Business at a Glance 2012 lets you:

Doing Business 2012

» View the 2011 and 2012

rankings and indicators, along with reform summaries, for each economy

» Compare 2011 and 2012 rankings and indicators

Doing Business in a More Transparent World

from economy to economy or economy to region

» Sort economies by their

“ease of doing business” ranking or any of the other rankings and indicators

» Read the complete

published Doing Business 2011 and Doing Business 2012 reports Visit www.doingbusiness.org/iphone for more information and to download the app! facebook.com/worldbankpublications twitter.com/WBPubs issuu.com/world.bank.publications

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How do economies rank this year on the ease of doing business?

Which regions were most active in making it easier to do business?

How many economies improved business regulations for local firms over the past five years?

By phone: +1-703-661-1580 or 800-645-7247 By fax: +1-703-661-1501 By mail: P.O. Box 960, Herndon, VA 20172-0960, USA Questions? E-mail us at books@worldbank.org AVAILABLE AT BETTER BOOKSTORES The reference of choice on development

World Bank

www.worldbank.org/publications Publications

Comparing business regulation

Press coverage of

in 183 economies T

October 2011. 264 pages.

Stock no. 18833 (ISBN: 978-0-8213-8833-4).

US$35.00

he Doing Business series provides research, data, and analysis on business regulation in 183 economies across 11 areas of the business life cycle. Doing Business 2012 identifies this year’s most improved economies in business regulation while highlighting best practices and global business regulation reform trends. This year’s report builds upon the eight previous editions, and sheds light on how easy or difficult it is for a local entrepreneur to open and run a small to medium-size business when complying with their local business regulations.

What’s New in Doing Business 2012?

Getting Electricity Indicators Doing Business 2012 includes a new set of indicators on the time, steps, and cost for a private business to get an electricity connection. The data on connection services can inform utilities, regulators, and governments seeking to strengthen the performance of the electricity sector.

Distance to the Frontier Measure This year’s report introduces a measure to illustrate how the regulatory environment for business has changed in each economy since Doing Business 2006 was published in 2005. This new “distance to frontier” measure complements the aggregate ranking on the ease of doing business.

Transparency & Access to Information A fundamental premise of Doing Business 2012 is that economic activity requires good rules that are transparent and accessible to all. Where business regulation is burdensome and competition limited, success depends more on whom you know than on what you can do. But where regulations are relatively easy to comply with and accessible to all who need to use them, anyone with talent and a good idea should be able to start and grow a business in the formal sector.

Helping bring about reform » Governments worldwide have been

Doing Business 2011 “The Doing Business report, which was started in 2003, has become one of the key ways in which the bank and other observers gauge business climate within developing countries...”

“[Doing Business started] as a way to encourage countries to reduce

consistently taking measures to empower local entrepreneurs. In fact, over the past six years, 96% of the 183 economies made their regulatory environment more business-friendly.

obstacles to entrepreneurship.

Developing countries compete to land a spot on the top 10 list of

» Between June 2010 and May 2011

governments in 125 economies out of 183 measured implemented a total of 245 business regulatory reforms—13 percent more reforms than in the previous year. China, India, and the Russian Federation are among the 30 economies that improved the most over time.

» 36 of 46 governments in Sub-Saharan

most-improving countries because it is seen as a way to get attention and investment.”

— The Wall Street Journal

“[Doing Business] has succeeded in putting the issue of business

Africa took action to make business regulations friendlier for domestic firms in 2010/11.

red tape on the international political agenda.”

» More than 100 of the 183 economies use electronic systems for business services.

— The Financial Times

— The Economist