Table of Contents:
see also our discussion on policy and regulation
Regulatory Quality
Regulatory Quality is one of six governance indicators measured by the World Bank Policy Research Working Paper Series. It is a measurement of the incidences of unfriendly market policies such as price controls or insufficient bank supervision. EST, or point estimate, is measured on a scale of -2.5 to 2.5, with the higher scores indicating to better governance of the regulatory quality in the countries observed.
2004 | 2002 | 2000 | |
Country | EST. | EST. | EST. |
Afghanistan | -2.05 | -1.08 | -3.64 |
Albania | -0.08 | -0.36 | -0.06 |
Algeria | -0.93 | -0.58 | -0.76 |
Andorra | 1.32 | 1.44 | |
Angola | -1.40 | -1.37 | -1.79 |
Antigua and Barbuda | 0.73 | 0.71 | |
Argentina | -0.81 | -0.81 | .45 |
Armenia | 0.05 | 0.11 | -0.39 |
Australia | 1.62 | 1.64 | 1.51 |
Austria | 1.41 | 1.67 | 1.53 |
Azerbaijan | -0.57 | -0.87 | -0.51 |
Bahamas | 0.78 | 1.35 | .95 |
Bahrain | 0.71 | 0.98 | 1.02 |
Bangladesh | -1.15 | -1.05 | -0.16 |
Barbados | 0.91 | 1.14 | 0.53 |
Belarus | -1.78 | -1.66 | -2.70 |
Belgium | 1.25 | 1.47 | 0.76 |
Belize | 0.32 | 0.14 | -0.17 |
Benin | -0.49 | -0.48 | -0.04 |
Bhutan | 0.00 | -0.38 | 0.25 |
Bolivia | 0.05 | -0.12 | 0.67 |
Bosnia-Herzegovina | -0.66 | -0.90 | -0.73 |
Botswana | 0.96 | 0.79 | 0.79 |
Brazil | 0.19 | 0.24 | 0.37 |
Brunei | 1.08 | 1.05 | 0.28 |
Bulgaria | 0.60 | 0.62 | 0.22 |
Burkina Faso | -0.26 | -0.17 | 0.01 |
Burma | -2.34 | -1.83 | -1.40 |
Burundi | -1.35 | -1.29 | -0.86 |
Cambodia | -0.25 | -0.44 | -0.07 |
Cameroon | -0.71 | -0.77 | 0.00 |
Canada | 1.57 | 1.65 | 1.38 |
Cape Verde | 0.27 | -0.25 | -0.07 |
Central African Republic | -1.28 | -0.85 | -0.65 |
Chad | -0.84 | -0.96 | -0.28 |
Chile | 1.62 | 1.48 | 1.38 |
China | -0.45 | -0.43 | -0.21 |
Colombia | -0.12 | -0.07 | 0.12 |
Comoros | -1.06 | -1.01 | -0.90 |
Congo (Brazzaville) | -1.16 | -1.06 | -1.03 |
Congo (Kinshasa) | -1.80 | -1.64 | -2.65 |
Costa Rica | 0.67 | 0.78 | 0.92 |
Cote d’Ivoire | -0.83 | -0.38 | -0.32 |
Croatia | 0.19 | 0.19 | 0.31 |
Cuba | -1.81 | -1.19 | -1.50 |
Cyprus (G) | 1.23 | 1.23 | 1.08 |
Czech Republic | 0.97 | 1.12 | 0.67 |
Denmark | 1.76 | 1.74 | 1.41 |
Djibouti | -0.76 | -0.65 | -0.66 |
Dominica | 0.53 | 0.77 | -0.13 |
Dominican Republic | -0.28 | -0.13 | 0.52 |
East Timor | -0.43 | -1.25 | |
Ecuador | -0.60 | -0.58 | -0.19 |
Egypt | -0.58 | -0.46 | 0.01 |
El Salvador | 0.56 | 0.07 | 1.15 |
Equatorial Guinea | -0.78 | -1.41 | -1.31 |
Eritrea | -1.29 | -1.08 | -0.40 |
Estonia | 1.61 | 1.41 | 1.33 |
Ethiopia | -1.19 | -0.99 | -0.62 |
Fiji | -0.36 | -0.09 | -0.81 |
Finland | 1.79 | 1.96 | 1.81 |
France | 0.91 | 1.22 | 0.78 |
Gabon | -0.46 | -0.21 | -0.29 |
The Gambia | -0.15 | -0.54 | -0.01 |
Georgia | -0.64 | -0.80 | -0.56 |
Germany | 1.29 | 1.57 | 1.38 |
Ghana | -0.28 | -0.23 | 0.11 |
Greece | 0.85 | 1.12 | 0.93 |
Grenada | 0.37 | 0.41 | 0.28 |
Guatemala | -0.07 | -0.08 | 0.46 |
Guinea | -0.94 | -0.75 | -0.09 |
Guinea-Bissau | -0.86 | -0.93 | -1.09 |
Guyana | -0.14 | -0.37 | -0.04 |
Haiti | -1.11 | -0.94 | 0.32 |
Honduras | -0.33 | -0.34 | 0.32 |
Hungary | 1.22 | 1.19 | 1.12 |
Iceland | 1.82 | 1.55 | 1.39 |
India | -0.59 | -0.35 | -0.17 |
Indonesia | -0.42 | -0.67 | -0.34 |
Iran | -1.33 | -1.23 | -1.29 |
Iraq | -1.79 | -2.26 | -3.43 |
Ireland | 1.63 | 1.63 | 1.70 |
Israel | 0.69 | 1.01 | 0.95 |
Italy | 0.97 | 1.13 | 0.78 |
Jamaica | 0.15 | 0.30 | 0.41 |
Japan | 1.04 | 0.98 | 0.84 |
Jordan | 0.13 | 0.10 | 0.68 |
Kazakhstan | -0.89 | -0.71 | -0.47 |
Kenya | -0.43 | -0.52 | -0.16 |
Kiribati | -0.49 | -1.10 | -0.78 |
Kuwait | 0.10 | 0.36 | -0.13 |
Kyrgyzstan | -0.06 | -0.42 | -0.36 |
Laos | -1.24 | -1.25 | -1.24 |
Latvia | 1.02 | 0.92 | 0.53 |
Lebanon | -0.49 | -0.49 | 0.29 |
Lesotho | -0.26 | -0.41 | -0.38 |
Liberia | -1.83 | -1.53 | -1.35 |
Libya | -1.52 | -1.57 | -2.01 |
Liechtenstein | 1.62 | 1.69 | |
Lithuania | 1.16 | 1.04 | 1.90 |
Luxembourg | 2.02 | 1.93 | 1.90 |
Macedonia | -0.19 | -0.09 | 0.13 |
Madagascar | 0.10 | -0.22 | -0.17 |
Malawi | -0.57 | -0.39 | -0.10 |
Malaysia | 0.44 | 0.55 | 0.36 |
Maldives | 0.00 | 0.71 | 0.07 |
Mali | -0.26 | -0.39 | 0.24 |
Malta | 1.30 | 1.11 | 0.45 |
Marshall Islands | -0.55 | -0.76 | -0.66 |
Mauritania | 0.04 | 0.09 | -0.38 |
Mauritius | 0.33 | 0.52 | 0.74 |
Mexico | 0.55 | 0.45 | 0.68 |
Micronesia | 0.04 | -0.65 | -0.65 |
Moldova | -0.49 | -0.16 | -1.11 |
Monaco | |||
Mongolia | 0.18 | -0.01 | 0.37 |
Morocco | -0.26 | -0.01 | 0.32 |
Mozambique | -0.29 | -0.52 | -0.05 |
Namibia | 0.45 | 0.25 | 0.35 |
Nauru | |||
Nepal | -0.60 | -0.51 | -0.39 |
Netherlands | 1.67 | 1.90 | 1.91 |
New Zealand | 1.78 | 1.69 | 1.45 |
Nicaragua | -0.15 | -0.41 | 0.32 |
Niger | -0.63 | -0.66 | -0.26 |
Nigeria | -1.26 | -1.18 | -0.38 |
North Korea | -2.05 | -1.89 | -1.70 |
Norway | 1.33 | 1.52 | 0.95 |
Oman | 0.43 | 0.63 | 0.79 |
Pakistan | -1.03 | -0.80 | -0.58 |
Palau | |||
Panama | 0.22 | 0.47 | 1.00 |
Papua New Guinea | -0.64 | -0.46 | -0.61 |
Paraguay | -0.60 | -0.56 | -0.79 |
Peru | 0.17 | 0.19 | 0.59 |
Philippines | -0.06 | 0.05 | 0.35 |
Poland | 0.64 | 0.65 | 0.62 |
Portugal | 1.14 | 1.47 | 1.05 |
Qatar | -0.16 | 0.15 | 0.52 |
Romania | -0.06 | 0.04 | -0.27 |
Russia | -0.51 | -0.35 | -1.58 |
Rwanda | -0.42 | -0.89 | -0.54 |
Saint Kitts and Nevis | 0.44 | 0.14 | 0.28 |
Saint Lucia | 0.46 | 0.14 | 0.28 |
Saint Vincent and Grenadines | 0.48 | 0.14 | 0.28 |
Samoa | 0.39 | -0.06 | -0.03 |
San Marino | |||
Sao Tome and Principe | -0.47 | -0.43 | -0.52 |
Saudi Arabia | -0.34 | 0.06 | -0.10 |
Senegal | -0.31 | -0.23 | -0.05 |
Serbia and Montenegro | -0.72 | -0.59 | -0.83 |
Seychelles | -1.21 | -0.49 | -1.34 |
Sierra Leone | -1.02 | -1.28 | -1.05 |
Singapore | 1.87 | 1.91 | 2.31 |
Slovakia | 1.15 | 0.75 | 0.37 |
Slovenia | 0.89 | 0.85 | 0.66 |
Solomon Islands | -1.47 | -1.89 | -1.55 |
Somalia | -2.63 | -2.01 | -2.40 |
South Africa | 0.44 | 0.53 | 0.12 |
South Korea | 0.69 | 0.84 | 0.47 |
Spain | 1.13 | 1.40 | 1.39 |
Sri Lanka | 0.21 | 0.16 | 0.32 |
Sudan | -1.04 | -1.19 | -0.84 |
Suriname | -0.52 | -0.61 | -0.97 |
Swaziland | -0.36 | -0.14 | -0.37 |
Sweden | 1.54 | 1.70 | 1.39 |
Switzerland | 1.55 | 1.62 | 1.55 |
Syria | -1.21 | -0.94 | -0.78 |
Taiwan | 1.29 | 1.04 | 0.95 |
Tajikistan | -1.16 | -1.26 | -1.33 |
Tanzania | -0.55 | -0.50 | 0.07 |
Thailand | -0.01 | 0.31 | 0.70 |
Togo | -0.77 | -0.61 | -0.47 |
Tonga | -0.43 | -1.22 | -0.18 |
Trinidad and Tobago | 0.61 | 0.66 | 0.81 |
Tunisia | -0.22 | -0.03 | 0.37 |
Turkey | -0.07 | 0.05 | 0.24 |
Turkmenistan | -2.22 | -1.89 | -2.18 |
Tuvalu | 0.76 | 0.35 | 0.43 |
Uganda | 0.07 | -0.02 | 0.16 |
Ukraine | -0.48 | -0.62 | -1.22 |
United Arab Emirates | 0.95 | 0.98 | 0.53 |
United Kingdom | 1.62 | 1.78 | 1.69 |
United States | 1.22 | 1.48 | 1.53 |
Uruguay | 0.30 | 0.47 | 1.05 |
Uzbekistan | -2.10 | -1.44 | -1.40 |
Vanuatu | -0.33 | -1.20 | -0.74 |
Venezuela | -1.24 | -0.54 | -0.55 |
Vietnam | -0.57 | -0.68 | -0.65 |
Yemen | -1.04 | -0.61 | -0.43 |
Zambia | -0.49 | -0.56 | 0.33 |
Zimbabwe | -2.15 | -1.7 | -1.61 |
Note: Individual country ratings can exceed the normal scale when their estimates of governance are either extremely high or extremely low.
Source: This material was derived from the World Bank and reflects the latest available data at the time of publication.