Since 2004, the World Bank and International Finance Corporation have issued an annual report on regulatory reforms aimed at facilitating business. Issued on September 9, 2009, the latest Doing Business Report (DBR) ranked Lebanon a humble 108th from a total of 183 countries worldwide. Last year, Lebanon found itself ranked 101st. The index is headed by Singapore, New Zealand and Hong Kong, while Saudi Arabia (KSA) at 13 is the region’s top performer in the Middle East and North Africa region, followed by Bahrain (20) and the United Arab Emirates (33). The region as a whole however proved remarkably active in terms of easing business procedures: 89 percent of the countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) implemented at least one improvement. Only the regions of Eastern Europe and Central Asia, at 96 percent, improved more. The DBR ranks 183 economies based on 10 indicators of business regulation
