Belarus at the end of a list :: Charter'97 :: News

Belarus occupies the 145th position, which is at the end of the rating, according to the 2007 "Index of Economic Freedom" published annually by The Wall Street Journal and The Heritage Foundation.

As in previous years, the Index ratings reflect an analysis of dozens of economic variables, grouped into 10 categories. The 10 freedoms measured are: business freedom, trade freedom, fiscal freedom, freedom from government, monetary freedom, investment freedom, financial freedom, property rights, freedom from corruption and labour freedom. Economies are ranked on a 100-point scale, with a higher score representing greater freedom.

Of the 157 countries ranked, only seven are classified as "free" (a score of 80 or higher). Another 23 are "mostly free" (70-79.9). The bulk of countries-107 economies-are either "moderately free" (60-69.9) or "mostly unfree" (50-59.9). Some 20 countries have "repressed" economies, with total freedom scores below 50 percent.

The rating of the former Soviet republics is as following:

Estonia takes the 12th position

Lithuania – 22nd position

Armenia -- 32nd position

Georgia – 35th position

Latvia – 41st position

Kazakhstan – 75th position

Kyrgyzstan – 79th position

Moldova – 81st position

Tajikistan – 98th position

Azerbaijan – 107th position

Russia – 120th position

Ukraine – 125th position

Uzbekistan – 132nd position

Belarus – 145th position

Turkmenistan – 152nd position

Notably, Estonia is higher than Germany (19th place), Japan (18th place) or Spain (27th place) on the list.

Belarus has the worst situation with economic freedoms among the CIS countries. To open one’s own business, 68 days are needed. But Belarus can hardly attract many foreigners, as financial and investment freedoms are almost non-existent here, a level of rights for property and a high level of corruption between officials are observed, Lenta.ru informs.

The Heritage Foundation underlines that countries of the world still have a lot to achieve, as the global average is 60.6 scores. The top 20 countries include 12 European countries, three countries of North and South America, and five countries of Pacific region.

According to the rating, Europe is the most favourable continent for business (67.5 scores). The Americas take 62.3 scores, while in Pacific region, Africa and the Middle East the situation is worse.