StatsGuru- Ease of doing business: India fares poorly on World Bank list

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This year's World Bank ranking of countries on the basis of how easy it is to do business in them is out. And, as usual, India's low rank has made headlines, especially since the country has slipped another couple of spots on the list. Ranked 142nd among the 189 countries evaluated, India is well below neighbours Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

On several counts, it is among the worst in the world. In dealing with construction permits, for example, only five countries are rated worse than India. (Oddly, China is almost as bad in this respect.)

India also fares particularly poorly in enforcing contracts. A comparison with emerging market peers like Mexico, South Africa and Brazil, is instructive. But the one count on which India stands out is its protection of minority investors - it is among the best in the world in this, claims the World Bank.