Data for 1998

Regulatory Quality, 1998

Name: Regulatory Quality, 1998
Creator: World Bank Group
License: https://data.worldbank.org/summary-terms-of-use

Figures for 1998, as World Bank Group published them · stored as published, never rewritten

Regulatory Quality, 1998 covers 183 countries on 2 measures. United Kingdom is highest, at 1.8977; Somalia is lowest, at -2.6044. The middle country reads -0.1976. Against 1996, 183 values changed (132 up, 51 down), the same countries are covered.

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Regulatory Quality · Data for 1998

HighestUnited Kingdom

1.8977

LowestSomalia

-2.6044

Shaded by value in five groups of equal size, darkest at the better end.

183countries
2measures per country
1998the year it describes
178distinct values18 decimals, as published
Sep 26, 2026read from the publisher
CC BY 4.0licence

01Position · derived

The table

Every country and every column of Regulatory Quality, 1998, as published. World Bank Group ranks nobody on this measure; the position is derived here by ordering the published values. “=” marks a shared position.

Search this table

Showing 25 of 183 countries · select a heading to sort

Regulatory Quality, 1998: every country, as published by World Bank Group.
derived
1	United Kingdom`GBR`Northern Europe	1.8977	88.165
2	Singapore`SGP`South-eastern Asia	1.8307	87.011
3	Netherlands`NLD`Western Europe	1.8146	86.734
4	New Zealand`NZL`Australia and New Zealand	1.7396	85.443
5	Finland`FIN`Northern Europe	1.7124	84.974
6	Denmark`DNK`Northern Europe	1.6722	84.283
7	Liechtenstein`LIE`Western Europe	1.6167	83.327
8	Ireland`IRL`Northern Europe	1.6117	83.242
9	United States`USA`Northern America	1.6057	83.138
10	Switzerland`CHE`Western Europe	1.5832	82.750
11	Canada`CAN`Northern America	1.5445	82.084
=12	Andorra`AND`Southern Europe	1.4383	80.257
=12	Bermuda`BMU`Northern America	1.4383	80.257
14	Luxembourg`LUX`Western Europe	1.3981	79.564
15	Austria`AUT`Western Europe	1.3875	79.381
16	Barbados`BRB`Caribbean	1.3779	79.217
17	Norway`NOR`Northern Europe	1.3665	79.021
18	Hong Kong`HKG`Eastern Asia	1.3491	78.720
19	Australia`AUS`Australia and New Zealand	1.3190	78.203
20	Spain`ESP`Southern Europe	1.3093	78.035
21	Germany`DEU`Western Europe	1.3055	77.971
22	Chile`CHL`South America	1.2845	77.608
23	Cayman Islands`CYM`Caribbean	1.2600	77.187
24	Sweden`SWE`Northern Europe	1.2364	76.781
25	Portugal`PRT`Southern Europe	1.2094	76.315
26	Belgium`BEL`Western Europe	1.1782	75.779
27	Iceland`ISL`Northern Europe	1.1059	74.534
28	Puerto Rico`PRI`Caribbean	1.0816	74.116
29	Taiwan`TWN`Eastern Asia	0.9843	72.441
30	Bahamas`BHS`Caribbean	0.9566	71.963
31	Israel`ISR`Western Asia	0.9295	71.497
32	Estonia`EST`Northern Europe	0.9182	71.303
33	France`FRA`Western Europe	0.9129	71.212
34	Cyprus`CYP`Western Asia	0.9042	71.062
35	Maldives`MDV`Southern Asia	0.9033	71.046
36	Malta`MLT`Southern Europe	0.8621	70.337
37	Botswana`BWA`Southern Africa	0.8389	69.937
38	Slovenia`SVN`Southern Europe	0.8326	69.829
39	Italy`ITA`Southern Europe	0.8171	69.562
40	Hungary`HUN`Eastern Europe	0.7582	68.548
41	Greece`GRC`Southern Europe	0.7344	68.139
42	Dominica`DMA`Caribbean	0.7250	67.976
43	Uruguay`URY`South America	0.6981	67.514
44	Costa Rica`CRI`Central America	0.6935	67.434
45	Poland`POL`Eastern Europe	0.6481	66.654
46	Lithuania`LTU`Northern Europe	0.6263	66.277
47	Brunei`BRN`South-eastern Asia	0.5612	65.157
48	Latvia`LVA`Northern Europe	0.5534	65.023
49	Panama`PAN`Central America	0.5503	64.970
50	Antigua and Barbuda`ATG`Caribbean	0.5466	64.906
51	Peru`PER`South America	0.5424	64.833
52	Trinidad and Tobago`TTO`Caribbean	0.5317	64.650
53	Czechia`CZE`Eastern Europe	0.5161	64.380
54	United Arab Emirates`ARE`Western Asia	0.5146	64.354
55	Japan`JPN`Eastern Asia	0.5100	64.277
56	Bahrain`BHR`Western Asia	0.4638	63.481
57	South Africa`ZAF`Southern Africa	0.4145	62.631
58	Argentina`ARG`South America	0.3784	62.010
=59	Grenada`GRD`Caribbean	0.3683	61.836
=59	Macau`MAC`Eastern Asia	0.3683	61.836
61	Malaysia`MYS`South-eastern Asia	0.3534	61.581
62	Belize`BLZ`Central America	0.3155	60.928
63	Mexico`MEX`Central America	0.3152	60.923
64	Slovakia`SVK`Eastern Europe	0.2621	60.009
65	Mauritius`MUS`Eastern Africa	0.2533	59.857
66	Namibia`NAM`Southern Africa	0.2391	59.613
67	Bolivia`BOL`South America	0.2325	59.499
68	Jamaica`JAM`Caribbean	0.2314	59.480
69	South Korea`KOR`Eastern Asia	0.2176	59.241
70	Philippines`PHL`South-eastern Asia	0.2144	59.187
71	Seychelles`SYC`Eastern Africa	0.1899	58.766
72	Brazil`BRA`South America	0.1531	58.132
73	Jordan`JOR`Western Asia	0.1453	57.998
74	Bulgaria`BGR`Eastern Europe	0.1233	57.618
75	Samoa`WSM`Polynesia	0.1126	57.434
76	Türkiye`TUR`Western Asia	0.0797	56.869
77	Tunisia`TUN`Northern Africa	0.0429	56.234
78	Uganda`UGA`Eastern Africa	0.0176	55.800
79	Romania`ROU`Eastern Europe	-0.0015	55.470
80	El Salvador`SLV`Central America	-0.0020	55.463
81	Morocco`MAR`Northern Africa	-0.0535	54.576
82	Ecuador`ECU`South America	-0.0651	54.376
83	Gabon`GAB`Middle Africa	-0.0718	54.260
84	Oman`OMN`Western Asia	-0.0890	53.964
85	Thailand`THA`South-eastern Asia	-0.0964	53.836
86	Dominican Republic`DOM`Caribbean	-0.1269	53.311
87	Sri Lanka`LKA`Southern Asia	-0.1312	53.237
88	Senegal`SEN`Western Africa	-0.1509	52.898
89	Bhutan`BTN`Southern Asia	-0.1668	52.625
90	Guyana`GUY`South America	-0.1792	52.411
91	Qatar`QAT`Western Asia	-0.1801	52.396
92	Malawi`MWI`Eastern Africa	-0.1976	52.094
93	Colombia`COL`South America	-0.2352	51.447
94	Saudi Arabia`SAU`Western Asia	-0.2359	51.435
=95	Benin`BEN`Western Africa	-0.2558	51.093
=95	Fiji`FJI`Melanesia	-0.2558	51.093
97	Cambodia`KHM`South-eastern Asia	-0.3176	50.028
98	Croatia`HRV`Southern Europe	-0.3228	49.939
99	Egypt`EGY`Northern Africa	-0.3247	49.907
100	Mongolia`MNG`Eastern Asia	-0.3432	49.588
101	Ghana`GHA`Western Africa	-0.3461	49.538
102	Moldova`MDA`Eastern Europe	-0.3545	49.394
103	Burkina Faso`BFA`Western Africa	-0.3682	49.158
104	Zambia`ZMB`Eastern Africa	-0.3890	48.800
105	Guatemala`GTM`Central America	-0.3968	48.665
106	China`CHN`Eastern Asia	-0.4078	48.475
107	Eswatini`SWZ`Southern Africa	-0.4212	48.246
108	Mali`MLI`Western Africa	-0.4357	47.995
109	Mozambique`MOZ`Eastern Africa	-0.4621	47.541
110	Nicaragua`NIC`Central America	-0.4721	47.370
111	Côte d’Ivoire`CIV`Western Africa	-0.4755	47.310
112	Indonesia`IDN`South-eastern Asia	-0.4833	47.177
113	Cabo Verde`CPV`Western Africa	-0.4842	47.161
114	North Macedonia`MKD`Southern Europe	-0.5113	46.694
115	Kyrgyzstan`KGZ`Central Asia	-0.5155	46.623
116	Tanzania`TZA`Eastern Africa	-0.5202	46.542
117	Kuwait`KWT`Western Asia	-0.5266	46.431
118	Kenya`KEN`Eastern Africa	-0.5315	46.347
119	Honduras`HND`Central America	-0.5416	46.173
120	India`IND`Southern Asia	-0.5806	45.501
121	Lesotho`LSO`Southern Africa	-0.5815	45.486
122	Lebanon`LBN`Western Asia	-0.6022	45.130
=123	Mauritania`MRT`Western Africa	-0.6617	44.106
=123	Nepal`NPL`Southern Asia	-0.6617	44.106
125	Papua New Guinea`PNG`Melanesia	-0.6647	44.053
126	Gambia`GMB`Western Africa	-0.6805	43.781
127	São Tomé and Príncipe`STP`Middle Africa	-0.7018	43.415
128	Yemen`YEM`Western Asia	-0.7051	43.358
129	Russia`RUS`Eastern Europe	-0.7059	43.344
130	Kazakhstan`KAZ`Central Asia	-0.7393	42.770
131	Vietnam`VNM`South-eastern Asia	-0.7503	42.581
132	Venezuela`VEN`South America	-0.7574	42.457
133	Pakistan`PAK`Southern Asia	-0.7693	42.254
134	Armenia`ARM`Western Asia	-0.7736	42.178
135	Guinea`GIN`Western Africa	-0.7809	42.054
136	Paraguay`PRY`South America	-0.7936	41.835
137	Georgia`GEO`Western Asia	-0.8246	41.301
138	Madagascar`MDG`Eastern Africa	-0.8445	40.958
139	Djibouti`DJI`Eastern Africa	-0.8697	40.525
140	Ukraine`UKR`Eastern Europe	-0.8711	40.500
141	Albania`ALB`Southern Europe	-0.8939	40.108
142	Niger`NER`Western Africa	-0.9042	39.930
143	Suriname`SUR`South America	-0.9121	39.795
144	Cameroon`CMR`Middle Africa	-0.9162	39.725
145	Algeria`DZA`Northern Africa	-0.9461	39.210
146	Togo`TGO`Western Africa	-0.9738	38.733
147	Nigeria`NGA`Western Africa	-1.0428	37.544
148	Azerbaijan`AZE`Western Asia	-1.0965	36.620
149	Bosnia and Herzegovina`BIH`Southern Europe	-1.1093	36.401
150	Bangladesh`BGD`Southern Asia	-1.1874	35.055
151	Palestine`PSE`Western Asia	-1.2369	34.204
152	Zimbabwe`ZWE`Eastern Africa	-1.2449	34.065
153	Chad`TCD`Middle Africa	-1.2756	33.537
154	Ethiopia`ETH`Eastern Africa	-1.3006	33.107
155	Sudan`SDN`Northern Africa	-1.3502	32.253
156	Syria`SYR`Western Asia	-1.3513	32.235
157	Cuba`CUB`Caribbean	-1.3660	31.981
=158	Central African Republic`CAF`Middle Africa	-1.4152	31.134
=158	Eritrea`ERI`Eastern Africa	-1.4152	31.134
160	Haiti`HTI`Caribbean	-1.4212	31.030
161	Laos`LAO`South-eastern Asia	-1.4359	30.777
162	Comoros`COM`Eastern Africa	-1.5935	28.064
163	Rwanda`RWA`Eastern Africa	-1.6013	27.930
164	Republic of the Congo`COG`Middle Africa	-1.6102	27.777
165	Guinea-Bissau`GNB`Western Africa	-1.6371	27.314
166	Angola`AGO`Middle Africa	-1.6471	27.142
167	Belarus`BLR`Eastern Europe	-1.6599	26.921
168	Serbia`SRB`Southern Europe	-1.7146	25.980
169	Iran`IRN`Southern Asia	-1.7216	25.859
170	Burundi`BDI`Eastern Africa	-1.7667	25.083
171	Equatorial Guinea`GNQ`Middle Africa	-1.7669	25.080
172	Tajikistan`TJK`Central Asia	-1.7811	24.836
173	Libya`LBY`Northern Africa	-1.8250	24.080
174	Myanmar`MMR`South-eastern Asia	-1.9320	22.238
175	Sierra Leone`SLE`Western Africa	-1.9362	22.164
176	North Korea`PRK`Eastern Asia	-2.0072	20.943
177	Uzbekistan`UZB`Central Asia	-2.0403	20.373
178	Iraq`IRQ`Western Asia	-2.0504	20.200
179	Turkmenistan`TKM`Central Asia	-2.1180	19.036
180	Liberia`LBR`Western Africa	-2.2315	17.081
181	Afghanistan`AFG`Southern Asia	-2.4853	12.713
182	DR Congo`COD`Middle Africa	-2.5937	10.846
183	Somalia`SOM`Eastern Africa	-2.6044	10.663

02In 1998

At either end

The 5 countries at each end of the headline, then the highest and lowest on each other measure.

Highest

1United Kingdom1.8977
2Singapore1.8307
3Netherlands1.8146
4New Zealand1.7396
5Finland1.7124

Lowest

183Somalia-2.6044
182DR Congo-2.5937
181Afghanistan-2.4853
180Liberia-2.2315
179Turkmenistan-2.1180

A higher value is the better result. The middle country reads -0.1976. “Shared” marks a value another country also holds.

Each measure’s ends

Governance Score, Regulatory Quality (0–100)
HighestUnited Kingdom88.165
LowestSomalia10.663
Middle country: 52.094

031996 → 1998

Since 1996

What changed between 1996 and this one: who joined or left, and how far the headline moved.

+0 / −0countries joined / left
183values changed, of 183 in both
132 · 51rose · fell
0unchanged

Rose most

Niger-1.5597 → -0.9042+0.6555
Bulgaria-0.4673 → 0.1233+0.5906
Gambia-1.2067 → -0.6805+0.5262
Cameroon-1.4302 → -0.9162+0.5141
Dominican Republic-0.5633 → -0.1269+0.4363

Fell most

Brunei1.2290 → 0.5612−0.6679
DR Congo-2.0321 → -2.5937−0.5616
Indonesia0.0116 → -0.4833−0.4949
Belarus-1.1706 → -1.6599−0.4893
Kuwait-0.1711 → -0.5266−0.3555

Changes in value, not in places: a country’s place also moves when others do. Every country’s full history is charted on the statistic page.

04Caveats

Read before you use

What this edition’s numbers are and are not, worked out from the file itself.

How values are stored

178 distinct values among 183
Values are stored exactly as published, to 18 decimals. 2 countries share 1.4383. Countries sharing a value share a position too.
The position is ours
World Bank Group publishes values only; the order is this site’s.
Nothing missing
Every one of the 183 countries has every column.

05The files

Download and cite

The table as a file, digit for digit, what this site changed, and a citation for this edition.

Licence in full

.csv
For a spreadsheet or code
183 rows · 8.7 KB · UTF-8, opens in Excel
Opens with 11 lines of source notes; the table starts on row 13.
Download regulatory-quality-1998-nations-inquiry.csv
↗
The publisher’s original
World Bank Group’s own file, on its own site.
WB_WGI_WIDEF.csv

What this site changed: Reshaped into one row per country: regional and income-group totals are left out, only the columns listed are kept, each row gets its ISO 3166 code, and some country names are brought to one spelling. No value is recalculated, rescaled or rounded.

Licence: CC BY 4.0 · what it allows, in plain words

Cite this edition

World Bank Group (1998). Regulatory Quality, 1998 [data set], describing 1998. As held by Nations Inquiry, https://nationsinquiry.com/datasets/regulatory-quality/1998

0627 held

Other years

‹ The year before
Regulatory Quality, 1996
183 countries
The year after ›
Regulatory Quality, 2000
183 countries
All of them
Regulatory Quality: every year
27 held, with the data dictionary, coverage and licence.
How it has moved, charted by country

07Questions