Doing Business 2014 is the 11th 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 regulations and the protection
of property rights that can be compared
across 189 economies—from Afghanistan
to Zimbabwe—and over time.
Regulations affecting 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 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 2014 are current
as of June 1, 2013. The indicators are
used to analyze economic outcomes
and identify what reforms of business
regulation have worked, where and why.