The Ease of Doing Business Index is a report produced annually by the International Finance Corporation and the World Bank. It ranks economies based on 10 areas of regulation: starting a business, dealing with construction permits, getting electricity, registering property, getting credit, protecting investors, paying taxes, trading across borders, enforcing contracts and resolving insolvency (formerly closing a business).
The lower the number assigned country, the easier it is to do business in that country. Singapore has been ranked number one since 2007. Of the East African Community (EAC) countries, Rwanda has made the most significant reforms in recent years. In 2014, Rwanda ranked at number 32 out of 189 countries and Tanzania ranked at number 145. Tanzania’s ranking has been getting worse overall for the past few years, prompting the government to become more vocal about making reforms.
The table below uses the Ease of Doing Business Index to compare the EAC members when it comes to overall ease of doing business. 189 countries were ranked in the index.
[table id=1 /]