Economy Characteristics

Doing Business uses a number of variables to characterize a country. Among them:

Gross national income (GNI) per capita
Doing Business 2009 reports 2007 income per capita as published in the World Bank’s World Development Indicators 2008. Income is calculated using the Atlas method (current US$). For cost indicators expressed as a percentage of income per capita, 2007 GNI in local currency units is used as the denominator. GNI data were not available from the World Bank for The Bahamas, Bahrain, Puerto Rico, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. In these cases GDP or GNP per capita data and growth rates from the International Monetary Fund's World Economic Outlook database, the Economist Intelligence Unit 2008 country profiles and the U.S. State Department 2008 country profiles were used.

Region and income group
Doing Business uses the World Bank regional and income group classifications. Throughout the report the term rich economies refers to the high-income group, middle-income economies to the upper-middle-income group and poor economies to the lower-middle-income and low-income groups.

Population
Doing Business 2009 reports midyear 2007 population statistics as published in World Development Indicators 2008.

Additional development data and statistics are available from the World Bank. For main Doing Business indicators by economy, click on the economy name. Click excel version for a copy of the data in Microsoft Excel.

Region or Economy	Region	Income category	GNI per capita (US$)	Population
East Asia & Pacific	..	..	6,891.5	..
Eastern Europe & Central Asia	..	..	5,722	..
Latin America & Caribbean	..	..	5,779.9	..
Middle East & North Africa	..	..	9,825.6	..
OECD	..	..	39,482.6	..
South Asia	..	..	1,188.8	..
Sub-Saharan Africa	..	..	1,641.7	..
Afghanistan	South Asia	Low income	370	24,800,000
Albania	Eastern Europe & Central Asia	Lower middle income	3,290	3,181,326
Algeria	Middle East & North Africa	Lower middle income	3,620	33,852,676
Angola	Sub-Saharan Africa	Lower middle income	2,560	17,019,315
Antigua and Barbuda	Latin America & Caribbean	High income	11,520	84,814
Argentina	Latin America & Caribbean	Upper middle income	6,050	39,503,466
Armenia	Eastern Europe & Central Asia	Lower middle income	2,640	3,000,874
Australia	OECD	High income	35,960	21,017,200
Austria	OECD	High income	42,700	8,315,427
Azerbaijan	Eastern Europe & Central Asia	Lower middle income	2,550	8,570,966
Bahamas, the	Latin America & Caribbean	High income	25,026	331,140
Bahrain	Middle East & North Africa	High income	19,350	752,789
Bangladesh	South Asia	Low income	470	158,571,814
Belarus	Eastern Europe & Central Asia	Upper middle income	4,220	9,701,870
Belgium	OECD	High income	40,710	10,625,701
Belize	Latin America & Caribbean	Upper middle income	3,800	304,001
Benin	Sub-Saharan Africa	Low income	570	9,025,402
Bhutan	South Asia	Low income	1,770	657,401
Bolivia	Latin America & Caribbean	Lower middle income	1,260	9,517,537
Bosnia and Herzegovina	Eastern Europe & Central Asia	Lower middle income	3,580	3,926,554
Botswana	Sub-Saharan Africa	Upper middle income	5,840	1,881,432
Brazil	Latin America & Caribbean	Lower middle income	5,910	191,601,284
Brunei	East Asia & Pacific	High income	36,216	389,252
Bulgaria	Eastern Europe & Central Asia	Lower middle income	4,590	7,642,177
Burkina Faso	Sub-Saharan Africa	Low income	430	14,777,431
Burundi	Sub-Saharan Africa	Low income	110	8,495,915
Cambodia	East Asia & Pacific	Low income	540	14,446,056
Cameroon	Sub-Saharan Africa	Lower middle income	1,050	18,532,799
Canada	OECD	High income	39,420	32,976,000
Cape Verde	Sub-Saharan Africa	Lower middle income	2,430	530,269
Central African Republic	Sub-Saharan Africa	Low income	380	4,343,405
Chad	Sub-Saharan Africa	Low income	540	10,763,638
Chile	Latin America & Caribbean	Upper middle income	8,350	16,594,596
China	East Asia & Pacific	Lower middle income	2,360	1,319,982,596
Colombia	Latin America & Caribbean	Lower middle income	3,250	46,117,464
Comoros	Sub-Saharan Africa	Low income	680	625,834
Congo, Dem. Rep.	Sub-Saharan Africa	Low income	140	62,399,224
Congo, Rep.	Sub-Saharan Africa	Lower middle income	1,540	3,766,751
Costa Rica	Latin America & Caribbean	Upper middle income	5,560	4,462,193
Côte d'Ivoire	Sub-Saharan Africa	Low income	910	19,268,303
Croatia	Eastern Europe & Central Asia	Upper middle income	10,460	4,438,310
Czech Republic	OECD	Upper middle income	14,450	10,334,160
Denmark	OECD	High income	54,910	5,460,017
Djibouti	Middle East & North Africa	Lower middle income	1,090	832,992
Dominica	Latin America & Caribbean	Upper middle income	4,250	72,793
Dominican Republic	Latin America & Caribbean	Lower middle income	3,550	9,752,270
Ecuador	Latin America & Caribbean	Lower middle income	3,080	13,339,580
Egypt	Middle East & North Africa	Lower middle income	1,580	75,466,539
El Salvador	Latin America & Caribbean	Lower middle income	2,850	6,853,143
Equatorial Guinea	Sub-Saharan Africa	High income	12,860	507,542
Eritrea	Sub-Saharan Africa	Low income	230	4,841,773
Estonia	Eastern Europe & Central Asia	Upper middle income	13,200	1,341,673
Ethiopia	Sub-Saharan Africa	Low income	220	79,086,894
Fiji	East Asia & Pacific	Upper middle income	3,800	838,205
Finland	OECD	High income	44,400	5,288,720
France	OECD	High income	38,500	61,707,073
Gabon	Sub-Saharan Africa	Upper middle income	6,670	1,330,182
Gambia, the	Sub-Saharan Africa	Low income	320	1,706,767
Georgia	Eastern Europe & Central Asia	Lower middle income	2,120	4,395,770
Germany	OECD	High income	38,860	82,268,358
Ghana	Sub-Saharan Africa	Low income	590	23,461,523
Greece	OECD	High income	29,630	11,193,367
Grenada	Latin America & Caribbean	Upper middle income	4,670	108,111
Guatemala	Latin America & Caribbean	Lower middle income	2,440	13,348,222
Guinea	Sub-Saharan Africa	Low income	400	9,380,197
Guinea-Bissau	Sub-Saharan Africa	Low income	200	1,694,653
Guyana	Latin America & Caribbean	Lower middle income	1,300	738,548
Haiti	Latin America & Caribbean	Low income	560	9,611,554
Honduras	Latin America & Caribbean	Lower middle income	1,600	7,091,481
Hong Kong, China	East Asia & Pacific	High income	31,610	6,925,900
Hungary	OECD	High income	11,570	10,055,580
Iceland	OECD	High income	54,100	310,997
India	South Asia	Lower middle income	950	1,123,318,991
Indonesia	East Asia & Pacific	Lower middle income	1,650	225,630,065
Iran	Middle East & North Africa	Lower middle income	3,470	71,021,039
Iraq	Middle East & North Africa	Lower middle income	1,224	28,505,843
Ireland	OECD	High income	48,140	4,366,193
Israel	Middle East & North Africa	High income	21,900	7,172,300
Italy	OECD	High income	33,540	59,374,701
Jamaica	Latin America & Caribbean	Upper middle income	3,710	2,677,170
Japan	OECD	High income	37,670	127,770,750
Jordan	Middle East & North Africa	Lower middle income	2,850	5,718,855
Kazakhstan	Eastern Europe & Central Asia	Lower middle income	5,060	15,481,263
Kenya	Sub-Saharan Africa	Low income	680	37,530,726
Kiribati	East Asia & Pacific	Lower middle income	1,170	101,860
Korea	OECD	High income	19,690	48,530,416
Kuwait	Middle East & North Africa	High income	31,640	2,662,966
Kyrgyz Republic	Eastern Europe & Central Asia	Low income	590	5,242,827
Lao PDR	East Asia & Pacific	Low income	580	5,859,891
Latvia	Eastern Europe & Central Asia	Upper middle income	9,930	2,276,100
Lebanon	Middle East & North Africa	Upper middle income	5,770	4,097,076
Lesotho	Sub-Saharan Africa	Lower middle income	1,000	2,005,826
Liberia	Sub-Saharan Africa	Low income	150	3,753,067
Lithuania	Eastern Europe & Central Asia	Upper middle income	9,920	3,375,619
Luxembourg	OECD	High income	75,880	479,994
Macedonia, FYR	Eastern Europe & Central Asia	Lower middle income	3,460	2,037,032
Madagascar	Sub-Saharan Africa	Low income	320	19,669,953
Malawi	Sub-Saharan Africa	Low income	250	13,920,062
Malaysia	East Asia & Pacific	Upper middle income	6,540	26,549,518
Maldives	South Asia	Lower middle income	3,200	305,340
Mali	Sub-Saharan Africa	Low income	500	12,334,168
Marshall Islands	East Asia & Pacific	Lower middle income	3,070	66,508
Mauritania	Sub-Saharan Africa	Low income	840	3,120,981
Mauritius	Sub-Saharan Africa	Upper middle income	5,450	1,262,722
Mexico	Latin America & Caribbean	Upper middle income	8,340	105,280,515
Micronesia	East Asia & Pacific	Lower middle income	2,470	110,961
Moldova	Eastern Europe & Central Asia	Lower middle income	1,260	3,792,142
Mongolia	East Asia & Pacific	Lower middle income	1,290	2,612,295
Montenegro	Eastern Europe & Central Asia	Lower middle income	5,180	600,265
Morocco	Middle East & North Africa	Lower middle income	2,250	30,860,595
Mozambique	Sub-Saharan Africa	Low income	320	21,372,202
Namibia	Sub-Saharan Africa	Lower middle income	3,360	2,073,624
Nepal	South Asia	Low income	340	28,107,592
Netherlands	OECD	High income	45,820	16,381,138
New Zealand	OECD	High income	28,780	4,228,300
Nicaragua	Latin America & Caribbean	Lower middle income	980	5,604,596
Niger	Sub-Saharan Africa	Low income	280	14,195,085
Nigeria	Sub-Saharan Africa	Low income	930	147,982,941
Norway	OECD	High income	76,450	4,709,153
Oman	Middle East & North Africa	High income	11,120	2,599,551
Pakistan	South Asia	Low income	870	162,389,013
Palau	East Asia & Pacific	Upper middle income	8,210	20,300
Panama	Latin America & Caribbean	Upper middle income	5,510	3,340,605
Papua New Guinea	East Asia & Pacific	Low income	850	6,324,097
Paraguay	Latin America & Caribbean	Lower middle income	1,670	6,120,496
Peru	Latin America & Caribbean	Lower middle income	3,450	27,898,182
Philippines	East Asia & Pacific	Lower middle income	1,620	87,892,094
Poland	Eastern Europe & Central Asia	Upper middle income	9,840	38,060,823
Portugal	OECD	High income	18,950	10,608,336
Puerto Rico	Latin America & Caribbean	High income	14,371	3,943,229
Qatar	Middle East & North Africa	High income	32,112	836,082
Romania	Eastern Europe & Central Asia	Upper middle income	6,150	21,546,874
Russian Federation	Eastern Europe & Central Asia	Upper middle income	7,560	141,636,177
Rwanda	Sub-Saharan Africa	Low income	320	9,735,541
Samoa	East Asia & Pacific	Lower middle income	2,430	186,759
São Tomé and Principe	Sub-Saharan Africa	Low income	870	158,013
Saudi Arabia	Middle East & North Africa	High income	15,440	24,195,950
Senegal	Sub-Saharan Africa	Low income	820	12,411,094
Serbia	Eastern Europe & Central Asia	Lower middle income	4,730	7,385,826
Seychelles	Sub-Saharan Africa	Upper middle income	8,960	85,032
Sierra Leone	Sub-Saharan Africa	Low income	260	5,848,320
Singapore	East Asia & Pacific	High income	32,470	4,588,600
Slovakia	OECD	High income	11,730	5,396,198
Slovenia	Eastern Europe & Central Asia	High income	20,960	2,018,122
Solomon Islands	East Asia & Pacific	Low income	730	495,362
South Africa	Sub-Saharan Africa	Upper middle income	5,760	47,587,543
Spain	OECD	High income	29,450	44,878,946
Sri Lanka	South Asia	Lower middle income	1,540	19,944,739
St. Kitts and Nevis	Latin America & Caribbean	Upper middle income	9,630	48,790
St. Lucia	Latin America & Caribbean	Upper middle income	5,530	167,975
St. Vincent and the Grenadines	Latin America & Caribbean	Upper middle income	4,210	120,325
Sudan	Sub-Saharan Africa	Lower middle income	960	38,555,569
Suriname	Latin America & Caribbean	Upper middle income	4,730	457,686
Swaziland	Sub-Saharan Africa	Lower middle income	2,580	1,144,872
Sweden	OECD	High income	46,060	9,148,093
Switzerland	OECD	High income	59,880	7,550,077
Syria	Middle East & North Africa	Lower middle income	1,760	19,890,585
Taiwan, China	East Asia & Pacific	High income	17,930	22,917,444
Tajikistan	Eastern Europe & Central Asia	Low income	460	6,740,085
Tanzania	Sub-Saharan Africa	Low income	400	40,432,163
Thailand	East Asia & Pacific	Lower middle income	3,400	63,832,135
Timor-Leste	East Asia & Pacific	Lower middle income	1,510	1,065,887
Togo	Sub-Saharan Africa	Low income	360	6,580,669
Tonga	East Asia & Pacific	Lower middle income	2,320	100,599
Trinidad and Tobago	Latin America & Caribbean	Upper middle income	14,100	1,333,050
Tunisia	Middle East & North Africa	Lower middle income	3,200	10,248,173
Turkey	Eastern Europe & Central Asia	Upper middle income	8,020	73,887,733
Uganda	Sub-Saharan Africa	Low income	340	30,930,082
Ukraine	Eastern Europe & Central Asia	Lower middle income	2,550	46,382,836
United Arab Emirates	Middle East & North Africa	High income	26,210	4,364,746
United Kingdom	OECD	High income	42,740	61,034,361
United States	OECD	High income	46,040	301,621,000
Uruguay	Latin America & Caribbean	Upper middle income	6,380	3,318,592
Uzbekistan	Eastern Europe & Central Asia	Low income	730	26,867,800
Vanuatu	East Asia & Pacific	Lower middle income	1,840	225,898
Venezuela	Latin America & Caribbean	Upper middle income	7,320	27,467,021
Vietnam	East Asia & Pacific	Low income	790	85,140,414
West Bank and Gaza	Middle East & North Africa	Lower middle income	1,230	3,868,915
Yemen	Middle East & North Africa	Low income	870	22,383,108
Zambia	Sub-Saharan Africa	Low income	800	11,919,870
Zimbabwe	Sub-Saharan Africa	Low income	340	13,402,661

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Economy Characteristics