World Bank Flags Mixed Business Prospects for Tajikistan in B-READY 2025
The World Bank has released its Business Ready (B-READY) 2025 report, providing a comprehensive overview of the business and investment climate in 101 economies worldwide, including Tajikistan.
According to The Caspian Post, citing Tajik media, the study examines how effectively countries support business activity through their legal systems, public services, and the real-world application of regulations.
The B-READY assessment evaluates both the quality of laws and the delivery of government services, measuring how well the two function together in practice. Designed to track the full business life cycle, the 2025 edition serves as an interim report. A more detailed version covering 164 economies is expected later this year.
The findings are based on input from nearly 5,000 local experts and 58,000 companies globally, including lawyers and industry professionals. Data was collected through surveys and interviews assessing the legal and regulatory conditions that shape everyday business operations.
Tajikistan’s performance
Countries were scored across three main pillars—Legal Framework, Government Services, and Operational Efficiency—on a scale from 0 to 100. Tajikistan posted uneven results:
- Legal Framework: 59.8
- Government Services: 40.4
- Operational Efficiency: 64.6
The report also evaluates performance across key stages of the business life cycle, from company formation to dispute resolution and market exit.
Tajikistan recorded its strongest scores in Starting a Business (71.2) and Financial Services (79.9), indicating relatively favorable conditions for access to credit, digital payments, and financial infrastructure. The Labor category also showed solid performance at 66.3 points, reflecting the state of labor laws and related services for employers and workers.
However, several areas underperformed. International Trade, Taxation, and Business Location each scored just above 50 points, signaling scope for reform. The weakest results were seen in Business Insolvency (39.5), Market Competition (39.9), and Dispute Resolution (40.9), pointing to persistent challenges in bankruptcy processes, competitive markets, and the effective resolution of commercial disputes.
Global outlook
Beyond individual country assessments, the B-READY 2025 report delivers a sobering global message. The World Bank notes that countries with the greatest need to generate jobs are often the least equipped to do so. On average, business environments worldwide are operating at only about 60 per cent of their potential, with limited improvement recorded in 2025.
The report highlights particular risks in economies with young populations and low growth, where demand for jobs is high but public services remain weak and legal enforcement insufficient. This gap, the World Bank warns, constrains economic growth and heightens socio-economic risks, underscoring the urgency of reforms to improve the business climate.
