Qatar improved most in business environment in MENA, says EIU report

Doha, Qatar: Qatar has been ranked as the country with the biggest improvement in the business environment index in the MENA region, according to a re...

Doha, Qatar: Qatar has been ranked as the country with the biggest improvement in the business environment index in the MENA region, according to a recent report by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), the research and analysis division of The Economist Group.

In the latest edition of its “Business Environment Rankings: Assessing the Best Places for Doing Business” report, which appraises the improvement in the business environment indices of countries and regions over a four year period, Qatar had a 0.93 change in score from 2019–23 to 2024–28, with financing being the country’s most improving category, making it the fifth most improved country in the rankings, EIU noted.

The EIU’s business environment index gauges in advance which economies are better placed for growth than others, pulling together 91 indicators spread across 11 different categories to give a comprehensive overview of the attractiveness of doing business in 82 countries and territories around the world.

The categories include: Political environment, the macroeconomic environment, market opportunities, policy towards free enterprise and competition, policy towards foreign investment, foreign trade and exchange controls, taxes, financing, the labour market, infrastructure and technological readiness.

Topping the list of the most improved countries is Greece, with a change in score of 1.38. It is followed by Argentina at 1.32, while India (1.08) and Angola (1.01) joined Qatar in completing the top-five list.