What Country is it Easiest to do Business In?

It's not the United States- at least, according to the International Finance Corporation's Doing Business Report.

The report breaks down the process of 'doing business' into several categories, including starting a business, registering property, getting credit, protecting investors, employing workers, trading across borders, etc. What's really interesting is that it also gives the breakdown of each category (for example, for the 'starting a business' category you can see that the metrics are how many procedures it takes to start-up, the average number of days, cost and minimum paid in capital)

It's interesting to see how high China is ranked, both in relation to the developed economies and the emerging markets. Though it ranks quite low in starting a business, acquiring licenses and registering property, it is ranked 3 or higher for getting credit, protecting investors, conducting trade and paying taxes. I commend the IFC for making this information public, as it is a valuable resource for businessmen and policy makers alike.