Doing Business 2012 is the ninth in a series of annual
reports investigating the regulations that
enhance business activity and those that constrain
it. Doing Business presents quantitative
indicators on business regulation and the protection
of property rights that can be compared
across 183 economies—from Afghanistan to
Zimbabwe—and over time.
Regulations aff ecting 11 areas of the life of a
business are covered: starting a business, dealing
with construction permits, getting electricity,
registering property, getting credit, protecting
investors, paying taxes, trading across
borders, enforcing contracts, resolving insolvency
(formerly closing a business) and employing
workers. The employing workers data are not
included in this year’s ranking on the ease of doing
business. Data in Doing Business 2012 are current as of June
1, 2011. The indicators are used to analyze economic
outcomes and identify what reforms of
business regulation have worked, where and why.
Chapters exploring these issues for each of the 11
Doing Business topics—as well as showing global
trends—are being published online this year.