Yangon, Myanmar, November 25, 2013 --- The World Bank Group has launched an enterprise survey in Myanmar to assess the business environment and barriers facing firms doing business in Myanmar. The survey is part of the World Bank’s Investment Climate Assessment with funding from the UK Department of International Development (UK Aid). The survey includes interviews with almost 1400 manufacturing and services companies, both domestic and foreign, small and large in Myanmar. The survey results and analysis will help inform government policy to promote investment, productivity and economic growth.
The World Bank has conducted similar surveys in over 120 countries around the world including in East and South Asia. The result is a set of comparable indicators at country level on business performance and environment including access to finance, access to electricity, roads and water, and business regulations. The recent Doing Business 2014 report provided basic benchmarking of regulations in Myanmar with those in other countries. The enterprise survey will provide more detailed information to help answer such questions as: what is the main obstacle for growth for small businesses in Myanmar? What are they key obstacles to exporters? How does productivity and the cost of labor in Myanmar compare to other countries?
“Myanmar is implementing a broad range of reforms to stimulate investment and growth. Hearing from businesses in Myanmar on what they see as the main issues and comparing constraints they face with those in other countries can help to focus on policies with the most impact. As a first survey, this will also set a benchmark and help in measuring progress as the Myanmar businesses environment improves” said Kanthan Shankar, World Bank Country Manager in Myanmar.
The World Bank has contracted MMRD, a leading research company of Myanmar, to implement the survey using the standard World Bank methodology. The survey will commence in November 2013 and covers Yangon, Mandalay, Monywa, Taunggyi, and Bago cities.
Preliminary results of the survey are expected in June 2014. To ensure reliability of the collected data and to protect the identity of the interviewed firms, the World Bank guarantees confidentiality of individual information of firms.
About the World Bank Group
The World Bank Group is one of the world’s largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries. It comprises five closely associated institutions: the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the International Development Association (IDA), which together form the World Bank; the International Finance Corporation (IFC); the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA); and the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID). Each institution plays a distinct role in the mission to fight poverty and improve living standards for people in the developing world. For more information, please visit www.worldbank.org, www.miga.org, and www.ifc.org.
