Vietnam ranks among top performers in WB’s Business Ready 2025 report

Vietnam ranks among top performers in WB’s Business Ready 2025 report

Việt Nam has secured a top-tier global ranking in operational efficiency, placing 16th out of 101 economies with a score of 70.44 in the World Bank's Business Ready 2025 report released on December 30, though gaps remain in other areas.

The country ranked in the first quintile, the top 20 per cent globally, for operational efficiency, which measures how easily businesses comply with regulations and access public services. Việt Nam joined 29 economies achieving top-quintile performance in one to three business areas.

The report highlighted Việt Nam’s strong performance in utility services, scoring 90.03 points, among the highest worldwide, and in financial services at 80.32 points. The nation also performed well in business entry (76.62), labour (69.63), and international trade (62.48).

However, Việt Nam fell into the third quintile for both regulatory framework (67.03 points) and public services (53.93 points), signalling room for improvement. Significant weaknesses appeared in business insolvency, with just 35.66 points, and market competition at 47.61 points, revealing critical gaps requiring targeted reform.

Globally, only eight economies, including Singapore, Georgia, the UK, and five other European nations, achieved top-quintile rankings across all three pillars. Singapore led in operational efficiency with 79.25 points, while OECD high-income economies displayed the most consistent excellence.

Within Southeast Asia, performance varies: Singapore ranked first globally, Malaysia placed in the second quintile with 67.99 points, and Cambodia scored 56.17 points in the third quintile. The region reflects both high performers and economies needing substantial reform.

The World Bank noted that younger workforces, including Việt Nam’s, tend to score lower across all assessment pillars compared to countries with mature populations, highlighting challenges in creating business environments conducive to job creation.

The B-Ready assessment, replacing the previous Doing Business report, evaluates economies across three pillars – regulatory framework, public services and operational efficiency – covering 10 topics across the full business life cycle. Data was collected from 5,000 local experts and surveys of 58,000 firms, balancing formal regulations with actual practices for a comprehensive assessment.

The project will expand to more than 160 economies in 2026, with current participants averaging 60 per cent readiness globally.

Bizhub