Bahrain has moved up to the 24th position in the Enabling Trade Index of the Global Enabling Trade Report 2009, the country’s Economic Development Board (EDB) said in a release here Wednesday.
Bahrain was in the 37th place last year, advancing 12 positions in the index, which involved 118 countries, the EDB said.
The result shows that the Kingdom of Bahrain is a pioneering regional center for business and trade, EDB Chief Executive Officer Sheikh Mohammad bin Isa Al-Khalifa said.
The country’s trade sector provides many opportunities and facilities for companies and businessmen in order to spur the private sector to be a catalyst for economic growth, he added.
East Asian economies – Singapore and Hong Kong – occupied the top two positions in the Enabling Trade Index ranking, followed by Switzerland, Denmark and Sweden, according to the Global Enabling Trade Report 2009, released by the World Economic Forum.
Canada, Norway, Finland, Austria and the Netherlands complete the top-10 list.
The Global Enabling Trade Report 2009 measures and analyzes institutions, policies, and services enabling trade in national economies around the world, highlighting for policymakers a country’s strengths and the challenges to be addressed.
The report includes the most current data and recent analysis of the factors enabling trade in industrialized and emerging economies, as well as the latest thinking and research from trade experts and industry practitioners.
