Business Ready (B-READY)
B-READY is the World Bank's replacement for Doing Business: it scores economies from 0 to 100 on three pillars (regulatory framework, public services, operational efficiency) across 10 topics, without an overall ranking. The pilot covered 50 economies in 2024 and the 2025 report 101, with about 180 planned.
- Reliability
- Grade C · 6/12
- Publisher
- World Bank Group
- Ranks
- Economies
- Editions
- 2 since 2024
- Method
- Mixed
- How items get in
- Compiled by the publisher
- Status
- New
Editions
| Edition | Published | Top of the list | On record |
|---|---|---|---|
| B-READY 2025 | December 2025 | Not recorded | 9 of 101 |
| B-READY 2024 Method changed | October 3, 2024 | Not recorded | At the publisher |
How the ranking works
B-READY assesses 10 topics that follow a firm's life cycle: Business Entry, Business Location, Utility Services, Labor, Financial Services, International Trade, Taxation, Dispute Resolution, Market Competition and Business Insolvency. Each topic is scored on three pillars: the regulatory framework (rules on the books), public services (institutions and digital services that support firms) and operational efficiency (how easily firms comply in practice).
Data combine expert questionnaires with firm-level surveys, about 1,200 indicators per economy in 2024. Scores run from 0 to 100; results are reported by pillar and topic and grouped into quintiles rather than aggregated into a single rank. Raw data, scores and a reproducibility package are published.
Scores only: Indicator scores are published without a single overall rank. The World Bank selects economies and is phasing in coverage (50 in 2024, 101 in 2025, about 180 planned); economies do not apply or pay. Scores are given per pillar and topic with no overall ranking.
How far to trust it
Superscout grades every ranking on six criteria, each scored 0 to 2. Business Ready (B-READY) scores 6 of 12, grade C.
- Transparency 2/2
- Methodology handbook, full data and reproducibility package are public.
- Independence 1/2
- Publisher is funded by and advises the governments it assesses; no fees for inclusion.
- Evidence 1/2
- Mix of expert questionnaires and firm-level surveys.
- Stability 0/2
- Pilot editions with expanding coverage and refinements.
- Coverage 1/2
- 50 then 101 economies, short of a full census.
- Track record 1/2
- Two editions (2024 pilot and 2025).
History
The World Bank discontinued Doing Business in September 2021 after data irregularities and committed to a new approach to assessing the business climate. It published the B-READY methodology in 2023 and released the first report on 2024-10-03 covering 50 economies. B-READY 2025, covering 101 economies, followed in December 2025.
The World Bank says the first three editions will gradually cover about 170 to 180 economies and refine the methodology over time, so changes between editions partly reflect coverage and method.
How it is received
Site Selection magazine (Daniel Monaghan, November 2024) described B-READY as a more transparent version of Doing Business, citing its downloadable data and reproducibility package, while noting that its 50-economy coverage limits comparison with other indices. The absence of an overall ranking means media and investment agencies compute their own averages.
Governments have questioned details: the Hong Kong SAR Government said some of the data used to assess Hong Kong were collected in 2023, shortly after the pandemic, while data for other economies were collected in 2024, and noted the report remains in a pilot phase.
Strengths
- Publishes raw data, scores and a reproducibility package.
- Combines rules on paper with firm surveys of how rules work in practice.
- No single rank to game; results broken out by pillar and topic.
Weaknesses
- Pilot phase: coverage and methodology change between editions.
- No overall ranking, which makes headline comparison harder.
- Coverage still partial (101 economies in 2025).
- Data collection timing differs across economies, per the Hong Kong government.
Open questions
Facts not verified yet. They stay visible so they are not mistaken for settled facts.
- Exact B-READY 2025 release day not confirmed (Hong Kong government response dated 2025-12-29/30; World Bank page says 'just released').
- Full pillar and topic scores for both editions are public in World Bank Excel files but returned HTTP 403 here; load them when accessible.
- Whether B-READY 2026 (third pilot edition) has a scheduled release date was not checked.
Superscout describes Business Ready (B-READY) independently from the publisher’s own pages and outside coverage, linked below. The rankings belong to World Bank Group.
Sources and known limits
Last reviewed .
- Business Ready (B-READY), World Bank
- B-READY publications, World Bank
- B-READY 2024 publications, World Bank
- Implementation Gaps Hinder Business Climate in 50 Economies (World Bank press release)
- Business Ready 2025 (World Bank report PDF)
- HKSAR Government responds to World Bank Group Business Ready 2025 Report
- New World Bank 'Business Ready' Rankings Offer a More Transparent Version of Doing Business (Site Selection)
- Ease of doing business index (Wikipedia)
- World Bank Group to Discontinue Doing Business Report