Affärslivet composite index · 7 dimensions · World Bank data
Affärslivet Business Climate Index 2026
The Affärslivet Business Climate Index 2026 ranks 49 economies on seven business dimensions — prosperity, growth, investment, entrepreneurship, capital markets, innovation and external balance. Singapore leads; Sweden ranks 15th. Transparent method, downloadable data, CC BY 4.0.
Executive summary
The Affärslivet Business Climate Index is a composite ranking of 49 economies across seven dimensions of the business environment — prosperity (GDP per capita at PPP), growth, investment attractiveness (FDI), entrepreneurship (new-business formation), capital-market depth (stock-market capitalisation), innovation (high-tech exports) and external balance (current account). Each dimension is normalised to a 0–100 scale and equal-weighted, so the index rewards balanced strength rather than a single standout metric. Singapore leads with 76.5/100; Sweden ranks 15th of 49 with 39.9/100. Unlike a single-metric league table, the index is our own construction — but it is fully transparent: every input is a World Bank series (compiled from the IMF and national exchanges) with a source URL, and the method below is reproducible. The complete ranking with per-dimension scores is downloadable as CSV and JSON under a CC BY 4.0 licence.
Key findings
Singapore leads the Business Climate Index
Singapore tops the Affärslivet Business Climate Index with a composite score of 76.5/100, the strongest overall business environment across the seven dimensions measured.
Source: Affärslivet Research · 2026 · confidence: Medium-High
Where Sweden ranks
Sweden ranks 15th of 49 with a composite score of 39.9/100. Its strongest dimension is investment (63.8/100); weakest is growth (11.3/100).
Source: Affärslivet Research · 2026 · confidence: Medium-High
Top five business climates
The five strongest overall business climates are Singapore (76.5), Ireland (67.5), Iceland (49.2), Denmark (46.5), United Arab Emirates (46.2).
Source: Affärslivet Research · 2026 · confidence: Medium-High
Data vintage — July 2026
Each dimension uses the most recent year available in the World Bank Open Data API for each economy. The index regenerates automatically as new data is published; scores are relative (normalised across the ranked economies), so a country's score can shift as peers' data updates.
The index — top economies
The chart shows the 15 highest-scoring economies (Sweden highlighted). Scores are the equal-weighted mean of seven dimensions, each normalised 0–100 across the 49 ranked economies.
Sweden's business climate, dimension by dimension
Sweden ranks 15th of 49 overall (39.9/100). The table shows its normalised score and world rank on each of the seven dimensions — where the Swedish business environment is strong and where it lags.
| Dimension | Score /100 | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Prosperity (GDP per capita, PPP) | 44.3 | 14th of 49 |
| Growth (real GDP growth) | 11.3 | 30th of 49 |
| Investment (FDI, % of GDP) | 63.8 | 5th of 49 |
| Entrepreneurship (new business density) | 36.3 | 12th of 48 |
| Innovation (high-tech exports) | 28.3 | 26th of 49 |
| External balance (current account, % of GDP) | 55.3 | 10th of 49 |
How the index is built
The index combines seven equally-weighted dimensions, each a World Bank indicator chosen to capture a distinct facet of the business environment: prosperity (GDP per capita, PPP), growth (real GDP growth), investment (FDI as % of GDP), entrepreneurship (new-business density), capital markets (stock-market capitalisation as % of GDP), innovation (high-tech exports as % of manufactured exports) and external balance (current-account balance as % of GDP).
For each dimension we min-max normalise across all economies with data, mapping the lowest to 0 and the highest to 100. The composite score is the simple average of the dimensions an economy reports; an economy must report at least five of the seven to be ranked. Equal weighting is a deliberate, transparent choice — it rewards broad-based strength and avoids hidden judgement about which dimension matters most.
| # | Dimension | World Bank series |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Prosperity (GDP per capita, PPP) | NY.GDP.PCAP.PP.CD |
| 2 | Growth (real GDP growth) | NY.GDP.MKTP.KD.ZG |
| 3 | Investment (FDI, % of GDP) | BX.KLT.DINV.WD.GD.ZS |
| 4 | Entrepreneurship (new business density) | IC.BUS.NDNS.ZS |
| 5 | Capital markets (market cap, % of GDP) | CM.MKT.LCAP.GD.ZS |
| 6 | Innovation (high-tech exports) | TX.VAL.TECH.MF.ZS |
| 7 | External balance (current account, % of GDP) | BN.CAB.XOKA.GD.ZS |
Full ranking — 49 economies
Complete ranking with each economy's composite score and its normalised (0–100) score on every dimension.
| # | Country | Index | Prosperity | Growth | Investment | Entrep. | Markets | Innov. | Ext. bal. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Singapore | 76.5 | 100.0 | 39.9 | 100.0 | 60.0 | 41.1 | 97.4 | 97.3 |
| 2 | Ireland | 67.5 | 87.8 | 100.0 | 55.4 | 34.0 | 7.6 | 87.7 | 100.0 |
| 3 | Iceland | 49.2 | 53.1 | 9.1 | 70.6 | 56.2 | — | 88.4 | 17.7 |
| 4 | Denmark | 46.5 | 51.4 | 22.6 | 62.3 | 35.1 | — | 28.3 | 79.5 |
| 5 | United Arab Emirates | 46.2 | 49.5 | 31.4 | 70.0 | 12.1 | 57.9 | 13.9 | 88.5 |
| 6 | Norway | 46.1 | 65.6 | 7.5 | 58.6 | 42.8 | 20.5 | 41.2 | 86.5 |
| 7 | Australia | 43.4 | 44.5 | 9.7 | 59.8 | 94.1 | 34.1 | 40.7 | 20.8 |
| 8 | China | 42.8 | 12.7 | 39.3 | 54.3 | 81.1 | 23.5 | 42.6 | 46.3 |
| 9 | Malaysia | 42.8 | 21.0 | 41.1 | 61.1 | 11.6 | 30.8 | 96.1 | 38.1 |
| 10 | Switzerland | 42.7 | 61.7 | 9.3 | 32.0 | 15.5 | 73.4 | 48.1 | 58.9 |
| 11 | United Kingdom | 42.7 | 37.4 | 10.0 | 53.2 | 100.0 | 29.0 | 47.5 | 21.8 |
| 12 | United States | 41.8 | 54.2 | 16.3 | 55.8 | — | 68.1 | 39.3 | 17.1 |
| 13 | Viet Nam | 41.1 | 5.2 | 64.5 | 62.1 | 9.6 | 17.9 | 72.3 | 56.4 |
| 14 | Netherlands | 40.0 | 54.4 | 13.2 | 51.1 | 17.0 | 39.0 | 37.9 | 67.4 |
| 15 | Sweden | 39.9 | 44.3 | 11.3 | 63.8 | 36.3 | — | 28.3 | 55.3 |
| 16 | South Korea | 39.6 | 36.7 | 6.9 | 55.2 | 17.6 | 44.4 | 59.1 | 57.3 |
| 17 | South Africa | 37.8 | 4.5 | 7.7 | 55.0 | 59.3 | 100.0 | 8.5 | 29.7 |
| 18 | India | 36.9 | 1.5 | 60.8 | 55.3 | 0.0 | 81.4 | 29.8 | 29.7 |
| 19 | Canada | 36.1 | 39.2 | 12.9 | 59.3 | 26.2 | 60.5 | 26.9 | 27.6 |
| 20 | Israel | 35.1 | 34.0 | 22.7 | 59.2 | 14.4 | 17.8 | 60.7 | 36.9 |
| 21 | Saudi Arabia | 34.6 | 44.0 | 35.6 | 57.2 | 27.8 | 56.0 | 0.0 | 21.3 |
| 22 | France | 32.6 | 37.8 | 5.5 | 57.1 | 34.9 | 25.2 | 37.4 | 30.3 |
| 23 | Philippines | 32.6 | 1.9 | 34.8 | 57.8 | 1.7 | 13.7 | 100.0 | 18.2 |
| 24 | Chile | 32.4 | 19.1 | 18.8 | 61.6 | 46.9 | 41.0 | 12.9 | 26.6 |
| 25 | Japan | 32.3 | 30.3 | 8.4 | 54.7 | 2.1 | 51.9 | 28.1 | 50.6 |
| 26 | New Zealand | 31.8 | 32.8 | 2.4 | 55.2 | 83.5 | 11.0 | 20.6 | 17.1 |
| 27 | Portugal | 31.4 | 30.1 | 13.9 | 62.3 | 56.9 | 6.9 | 10.3 | 39.6 |
| 28 | Finland | 30.2 | 39.8 | 0.0 | 59.6 | 30.5 | — | 14.5 | 36.7 |
| 29 | Thailand | 30.2 | 11.0 | 18.7 | 59.1 | 8.3 | 26.4 | 45.9 | 42.3 |
| 30 | Czechia | 30.1 | 34.0 | 19.8 | 61.5 | 21.7 | 3.3 | 36.2 | 33.9 |
| 31 | Spain | 30.1 | 34.5 | 21.8 | 58.7 | 18.4 | 20.0 | 14.5 | 43.0 |
| 32 | Germany | 29.1 | 45.5 | 0.5 | 56.5 | 6.7 | 16.7 | 28.8 | 49.2 |
| 33 | Belgium | 27.8 | 45.5 | 6.7 | 41.8 | 27.0 | 17.2 | 32.8 | 23.8 |
| 34 | Austria | 27.3 | 45.8 | 3.6 | 58.8 | 4.3 | 10.2 | 29.6 | 38.5 |
| 35 | Poland | 26.5 | 29.8 | 27.9 | 58.2 | 11.6 | 8.4 | 21.5 | 27.9 |
| 36 | Italy | 24.9 | 37.4 | 3.0 | 56.2 | 15.3 | 7.3 | 19.4 | 35.9 |
| 37 | Indonesia | 24.4 | 5.2 | 40.6 | 57.2 | 4.0 | 19.2 | 13.5 | 31.0 |
| 38 | Brazil | 24.2 | 9.4 | 17.4 | 60.5 | 34.1 | 10.8 | 17.5 | 19.9 |
| 39 | Turkiye | 23.1 | 25.8 | 28.2 | 55.5 | 9.5 | 6.8 | 7.6 | 28.4 |
| 40 | Russia | 22.8 | 27.0 | 6.8 | 53.0 | 11.1 | 8.8 | 15.2 | 38.0 |
| 41 | Nigeria | 22.0 | 0.0 | 31.6 | 55.1 | 4.9 | 8.2 | 3.6 | 50.4 |
| 42 | Romania | 22.0 | 28.2 | 4.1 | 57.5 | 38.4 | 4.1 | 21.4 | 0.2 |
| 43 | Greece | 21.7 | 24.9 | 15.6 | 59.0 | 12.0 | 13.1 | 23.9 | 3.4 |
| 44 | Mexico | 21.0 | 12.1 | 3.2 | 58.7 | 4.1 | 8.4 | 31.0 | 29.6 |
| 45 | Egypt | 20.8 | 7.1 | 34.7 | 77.3 | 0.5 | 4.3 | 5.4 | 16.3 |
| 46 | Colombia | 20.7 | 9.4 | 20.3 | 60.2 | 10.8 | 7.9 | 14.0 | 22.0 |
| 47 | Argentina | 20.4 | 15.1 | 34.5 | 57.4 | 1.8 | 1.5 | 5.5 | 27.0 |
| 48 | Hungary | 18.7 | 27.9 | 2.8 | 0.0 | 19.2 | 6.8 | 36.5 | 37.9 |
| 49 | Ukraine | 13.6 | 6.7 | 13.5 | 58.0 | 7.7 | 0.0 | 9.6 | 0.0 |
Scoreboard (machine-readable data)
Every headline indicator with its value, period, source and confidence. Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0.
Methodology & verification
The Affärslivet Business Climate Index equal-weights seven World Bank dimensions (prosperity, growth, investment, entrepreneurship, capital markets, innovation, external balance), each min-max normalised to 0–100 across the economies with data. The composite is the mean of the dimensions an economy reports; a minimum of five of seven is required to be ranked. Scores are relative to the ranked set and shift as peer data updates. Every input is an official World Bank series (compiled from the IMF and national exchanges) with a source URL; nothing is estimated. This is Affärslivet's own composite — a transparent, reproducible construction, not an official World Bank or IMF index. Confidence: Medium-High (method is ours; inputs are official).
Data dictionary
| Field | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| metric | string | business_climate_index |
| label | string | Country name |
| value | number | Composite score, 0–100 |
| unit | string | /100 |
| period | string | Index year |
| geography | string | Country |
Frequently asked questions
What is the Affärslivet Business Climate Index?
A composite ranking of 49 economies across seven business dimensions (prosperity, growth, investment, entrepreneurship, capital markets, innovation, external balance), each normalised 0–100 and equal-weighted. It is Affärslivet's own index, built transparently from World Bank data.
Which country has the best business climate?
Singapore leads the 2026 index with 76.5/100. Top five: Singapore, Ireland, Iceland, Denmark, United Arab Emirates.
Where does Sweden rank for business climate?
Sweden ranks 15th of 49 with 39.9/100, strongest on investment and weakest on growth.
How is the index calculated?
Seven World Bank indicators are each min-max normalised to 0–100 across all economies with data, then equal-weighted into a mean. An economy must report at least five of seven dimensions to be ranked. The method is fully documented and reproducible.
Is this an official index?
No — it is Affärslivet's own composite, built transparently from official World Bank data (compiled from the IMF and national exchanges). It is not a World Bank, IMF or WEF index.
Can I download the data?
Yes — the full ranking with per-dimension scores is available as CSV and JSON under a CC BY 4.0 licence, free to reuse with attribution to Affärslivet.
How often is it updated?
It regenerates automatically as the World Bank publishes new data for the underlying indicators.
Glossary
- Composite index
- A single score combining several indicators into one ranking, here the equal-weighted mean of seven normalised business dimensions. ↗
- Min-max normalisation
- Rescaling values so the lowest becomes 0 and the highest 100, making different indicators comparable. ↗
- Purchasing-power parity (PPP)
- A conversion that equalises price levels across countries, used here for the prosperity dimension. ↗
- FDI
- Foreign direct investment — cross-border investment into companies and assets, a gauge of investment attractiveness. ↗
- New business density
- Newly registered companies per 1,000 working-age adults — a gauge of entrepreneurship. ↗
How to cite this report
APA
Affärslivet Research. (2026). Affärslivet Business Climate Index 2026. Affärslivet. Version 1.0. https://xn--affrslivet-s5a.com/en/reports/business-climate-index
MLA
Affärslivet Research. "Affärslivet Business Climate Index 2026." Affärslivet, 2026-07-01, https://xn--affrslivet-s5a.com/en/reports/business-climate-index.
BibTeX
@techreport{affarslivet_business_climate_index,
title = {Affärslivet Business Climate Index 2026},
author = {{Affärslivet Research}},
year = {2026},
note = {Version 1.0},
url = {https://xn--affrslivet-s5a.com/en/reports/business-climate-index}
} Sources
- World Bank Open Data — all seven dimensions
- World Bank — Prosperity (GDP per capita, PPP)
- World Bank — Growth (real GDP growth)
- World Bank — Investment (FDI, % of GDP)
- World Bank — Entrepreneurship (new business density)
- World Bank — Capital markets (market cap, % of GDP)
- World Bank — Innovation (high-tech exports)
- World Bank — External balance (current account, % of GDP)
- Affärslivet — Sweden Economic Indicators