Analytics, Baltic States – CIS, EU – Baltic States, Markets and Companies, Rating

As business starting procedures were simplified even more, Lithuania managed to remain in a high place – 11th – in terms of starting a new business. Lithuania's score is higher than that of Belgium, Estonia, Latvia, Poland, France, Finland, Germany and other member-states of the European Union (EU).

On Doing Business 2015 Lithuania ranks 10th among all 28 members-states of the EU. In the joint worldwide list Lithuania comes 24th among 189 countries.

On Doing Business 20915, Lithuania is ahead of such EU member-states as the Netherlands (27th), France (31st) and Belgium (42nd). As in the previous year, Singapore remained as the most business-friendly country, while New Zealand (2nd) and Hong Kong (3rd) switched their places on this year's list.

Ukraine, Rwanda, the Russian Federation, the Philippines, Kosovo, Djibouti, Côte d’Ivoire, Burundi, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and Guatemala are among the economies improving the most in 2012/13 in areas tracked by Doing Business.

Worldwide, 114 economies implemented 238 regulatory reforms in 2012/13 making it easier to do business as measured by Doing Business – 18% more reforms than in the previous year. 

Sub-Saharan Africa is home to 9 of the 20 economies narrowing the gap with the regulatory frontier the most since 2009. Low-income economies narrowed this gap twice as much as high-income economies did.

Singapore topped the global ranking on the ease of doing business. Joining it on the list of the top 10 economies with the most business-friendly regulatory environments are Hong Kong SAR, China; New Zealand; the United States; Denmark; Malaysia; the Republic of Korea; Georgia; Norway; and the United Kingdom.

Doing Business collected data for the first time this year in four economies: Libya, Myanmar, San Marino, and South Sudan.

Case studies highlighting good practices in 6 of the areas measured by Doing Business indicator sets are featured in the report: the role of minimum capital requirements in starting a business; risk-based inspections in dealing with construction permits; the cost structure in getting electricity; single window systems in trading across borders; e-filing and e-payment in paying taxes; and e-courts in enforcing contracts.