Overview

Doing Business 2010 reported a record number of reforms between June 2008 and May 2009, despite the challenges presented by the financial crisis. This year’s reformers focused on making it easier to start and operate a business, pay taxes, and reform bankruptcy procedures to help keep companies operating and preserve jobs during tough economic times. Two regions were particularly active: Eastern Europe and Central Asia and the Middle East and North Africa. Within both regions, competition among neighbors helped inspire widespread reform.

Main findings

• Between June 2008 and May 2009, 287 reforms were recorded in 131 economies, 20% more than the year before. 
• In Eastern Europe and Central Asia, 26 of the region’s 27 economies reformed business regulation in at least one area covered by Doing Business.
• In the Middle East and North Africa, 17 of the region’s 19 economies reformed. 
• Singapore, a consistent reformer, was the top-ranked economy on the ease of doing business for the fourth year in a row, with New Zealand as runner-up. 
• Two-thirds of the year’s reforms were found in low- and lower-middle-income economies.