World Bank assesses Azerbaijan in inaugural B‑READY 2025 report

For the first time, Azerbaijan has been evaluated under the World Bank’s new Business Ready (B‑READY) 2025 framework, the bank’s report reveals. The study examined 101 economies, assessing business and investment environments across three key indicators: regulatory framework, public services, and operational efficiency, while also producing thematic scores in specific sectors.

Under the regulatory framework indicator, Azerbaijan scored 71.92 points, ranking 32nd globally. The country performed strongest in financial services (94.1 points) and utility services (83.6 points). Solid results were also recorded in business entry (74.2 points), dispute resolution (74.7 points), and business insolvency (70.8 points). Areas for improvement included international trade (64.5 points), taxation (66.7 points), labor (68.1 points), and market competition (52 points), Caliber.Az reports, citing local media.

For public services, Azerbaijan achieved 62.7 points, placing 40th. High scores were recorded in business entry (87.2 points) and financial services (89.8 points), while international trade (49.2 points), market competition (38.5 points), and business insolvency (37.5 points) lagged behind.

In terms of operational efficiency, Azerbaijan scored 63.3 points, ranking 42nd. Business entry (96.7 points), business location (85.9 points), and utility services (87.9 points) were notable strengths. Conversely, international trade (48.5 points), market competition (45.3 points), and labor (57.3 points) scored lower, with business insolvency rated zero in this category.

Overall, Azerbaijan’s strongest thematic scores were in business creation (86 points), financial services (87.2 points), and utility services (83 points). Moderate performance was observed in taxation (67.8 points), dispute resolution (65.3 points), labor (64 points), and international trade (54.1 points), while market competition (45.3 points) and business insolvency (36.1 points) were identified as the most challenging areas.

Comparatively, neighboring South Caucasus nations performed variably: Armenia scored between 61.2 and 73 points, while Georgia ranged from 70.3 to 78 points across the three main indicators.

Unlike the previous Doing Business reports, the B‑READY assessment does not emphasize overall country rankings. The World Bank plans to expand coverage to 180 economies in 2026.

The B‑READY initiative, part of the World Bank Group’s updated strategy to foster private investment, job creation, and productivity, collects and analyzes data annually on the business and investment environment. Replacing Doing Business, B‑READY provides a more balanced and transparent evaluation, incorporating input from World Bank experts, governments, the private sector, and civil society institutions. This ensures a balance between de jure and de facto indicators, alongside improved data comparability and representativeness.

In September 2021, the World Bank discontinued the Doing Business reports following the discovery of irregularities in data collection and presentation. Azerbaijan was among the four countries highlighted in the investigation. Findings revealed that China and Saudi Arabia’s scores had been artificially inflated, while Azerbaijan’s 2018 and 2020 rankings were lowered due to biased assessments.

By Vafa Guliyeva