World Bank Group · Firms with an International Quality Certification
Firms with quality certification by country
What share of firms hold an international quality certificate such as ISO 9001?
Of the 172 countries compared in the 2026 edition, Netherlands had the highest reading, 45.772%, and Belize had the lowest reading, 0.000%. In the middle country the figure was 10.314%. 9 readings from before 2016 are listed but not compared.
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Part ofEconomy & Innovation
Firms with quality certification · the 2026 edition
Context statistic
Highest of 172Netherlands
45.772%01the 2026 edition · values only
Who leads
The three countries at the highest end of 172 compared, the three at the other end, and the first on each continent.
1Photo: Traveler100 · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
2Photo: Francisco Antunes · CC BY 2.0, greyscale
3Photo: User:Ggia derivative work: Jjtkk · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
Lowest in the 2026 edition
Belize0.000%
Central African Republic0.111%
Mali0.346%
Where a country sits says how it compares with the others measured, and nothing about why.
Highest on each continent
- Africa
Zimbabwe31.321% - Americas
Guatemala24.370% - Asia
Cyprus37.762% - EuropeNetherlands45.772%
- Oceania
Papua New Guinea38.393% - Every region
02Every measured country
Firms with quality certification on a map
Each country is shaded by its value, in five groups holding the same number of countries. Hover a country for its value, or select it to open its profile. Below the map, each continent’s middle country.
Darker is a higher value — the better end.
- 0.000–4.098%
- 4.293–7.988%
- 8.044–12.850%
- 12.950–20.440%
- 20.700–45.772%
- Hatched: a reading from before 2016, listed but not compared (9)
- No reading in the 2026 edition
- Europe
24.576%
the middle country, of 40 measured · 49 members
Netherlands45.772%
Russia1.776%Highest and lowest reading in Europe.
- Americas
9.600%
the middle country, of 28 measured · 48 members
Guatemala24.370%Belize0.000%Highest and lowest reading in Americas.
- Asia
9.196%
the middle country, of 45 measured · 52 members
Cyprus37.762%
Timor-Leste0.389%Highest and lowest reading in Asia.
- Oceania
6.143%
the middle country, of 9 measured · 21 members
Papua New Guinea38.393%
Kiribati0.393%Highest and lowest reading in Oceania.
- Africa
5.777%
the middle country, of 50 measured · 55 members
Zimbabwe31.321%Central African Republic0.111%Highest and lowest reading in Africa.
- Every region
22 sub-regions, highest middle country first
- Western Europe
30.844%
the middle country, of 7 measured · 9 members
Netherlands45.772%
France20.042%Highest and lowest reading in Western Europe.
- Northern Europe
26.002%
the middle country, of 10 measured · 13 members
Ireland39.414%
Lithuania13.939%Highest and lowest reading in Northern Europe.
- Southern Europe
23.722%
the middle country, of 13 measured · 17 members
Italy45.345%
Portugal14.745%Highest and lowest reading in Southern Europe.
- Eastern Europe
19.608%
the middle country, of 10 measured · 10 members
Hungary31.109%Russia1.776%Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Europe.
- Eastern Asia
15.956%
the middle country, of 6 measured · 8 members
Taiwan35.325%
Mongolia7.664%Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Asia.
- Western Asia
12.850%
the middle country, of 15 measured · 19 members
Cyprus37.762%
Saudi Arabia3.002%Highest and lowest reading in Western Asia.
- South America
10.637%
the middle country, of 10 measured · 12 members
Argentina12.722%
Suriname2.821%Highest and lowest reading in South America.
- Southern Africa
10.402%
the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members
Eswatini19.622%
Lesotho5.292%Highest and lowest reading in Southern Africa.
- Caribbean
8.857%
the middle country, of 8 measured · 24 members
Trinidad and Tobago17.264%
Barbados2.917%Highest and lowest reading in Caribbean.
- Southern Asia
8.244%
the middle country, of 8 measured · 9 members
Pakistan19.637%
Bhutan2.514%Highest and lowest reading in Southern Asia.
- Central Asia
7.617%
the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members
Kazakhstan17.063%
Uzbekistan3.272%Highest and lowest reading in Central Asia.
- Central America
7.420%
the middle country, of 8 measured · 8 members
Guatemala24.370%Belize0.000%Highest and lowest reading in Central America.
- South-eastern Asia
7.329%
the middle country, of 11 measured · 11 members
Malaysia17.847%Timor-Leste0.389%Highest and lowest reading in South-eastern Asia.
- Middle Africa
4.890%
the middle country, of 9 measured · 9 members
Equatorial Guinea11.660%Central African Republic0.111%Highest and lowest reading in Middle Africa.
- Eastern Africa
4.348%
the middle country, of 17 measured · 19 members
Zimbabwe31.321%
Somalia0.875%Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Africa.
- Western Africa
2.699%
the middle country, of 16 measured · 16 members
Guinea10.226%Mali0.346%Highest and lowest reading in Western Africa.
- Australia and New Zealand
2 of 2 measured — too few for a middle: Australia, New Zealand.
Australia26.521%
New Zealand6.274%Highest and lowest reading in Australia and New Zealand.
- Melanesia
4 of 5 measured — too few for a middle: Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu.
Papua New Guinea38.393%
Vanuatu2.677%Highest and lowest reading in Melanesia.
- Micronesia
1 of 7 measured — too few for a middle: Kiribati.
Kiribati0.393%Highest and lowest reading in Micronesia.
- Northern Africa
3 of 6 measured — too few for a middle: Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia.
Tunisia20.440%
Morocco9.604%Highest and lowest reading in Northern Africa.
- Northern America
2 of 4 measured — too few for a middle: Canada, United States.
Canada16.616%
United States6.887%Highest and lowest reading in Northern America.
- Polynesia
2 of 7 measured — too few for a middle: Samoa, Tonga.
Samoa3.446%
Tonga1.535%Highest and lowest reading in Polynesia.
03The whole field at once
The spread
172 countries, one dot each, on one scale — further right is a higher value. Half the countries are above 10.314%; a quarter are above 19.336%, and a quarter below 5.191%. The bar in each row marks that continent’s middle country.
04All 181 ever measured
Every country
In order, highest value first. No rank or position is shown: too many countries share the same value for an order to mean anything. Certification follows custom and customers as much as quality: it is routine where buyers or public tenders demand it, as in much of Europe, and uncommon in some rich economies where they do not. That is why no positions are shown. Survey years differ between countries — check the year beside each reading.
Showing 25 of 181 countries
Values for the 2026 edition.
05In this edition
Firms with quality certification in records
The extremes of the statistic. A record reached by more than one country names none of them.
Highest reading
45.772%
Firms with an internationally recognised quality certification (%)
Lowest reading
0.000%
Firms with an internationally recognised quality certification (%)
06The measure
About firms with quality certification
This is the share of private firms holding an internationally recognised quality certification, such as ISO 9001 or ISO 14001, from the World Bank's Enterprise Surveys. Certification shows that a firm's quality or environmental management has been checked against a common standard — often a condition for selling to large or foreign buyers.
What the number is: Firms with an internationally recognised quality certification (%).
07Where it fits
Connections
Its part in the Country Index, the statistics whose values line up most closely with it across countries, and others on the same subject.
In the Country Index
Context, with no vote
This statistic is published in full under Economy & Innovation, but does not help decide any Country Index standing.
Moves with
Where firms with quality certification is higher, these tend to be higher too.
- GNI per Capita (PPP)World Bank Group · 98 countries in commonρ 0.75
- Inequality-adjusted Human Development IndexUNDP Human Development Report Office · 156 countries in commonρ 0.71
- Actual Individual Consumption per Capita (PPP)World Bank Group · 160 countries in commonρ 0.70
Moves against
Where firms with quality certification is higher, these tend to be lower.
- Informal Employment RateILO · 89 countries in commonρ −0.75
- Average Household SizeUN DESA Population Division · 125 countries in commonρ −0.67
- Coefficient of Human InequalityUNDP Human Development Report Office · 156 countries in commonρ −0.67
Rank correlation (ρ, from −1 to 1) across countries, on each statistic’s newest edition, out of 377 statistics sharing at least 80 countries with this one. Two statistics that move together do not cause each other.
08Keep reading
Explore further
The subject
The data, edition by edition
The countries at either end
More from World Bank Group
09Questions
Firms with quality certification: questions and answers
Which country has the highest firms with quality certification?
Netherlands, at 45.772%, among the 172 countries compared in the 2026 edition.
Which country has the lowest firms with quality certification?
Belize, at 0.000%, among the 172 countries compared in the 2026 edition.
How many countries does the Firms with an International Quality Certification cover?
172 in the 2026 edition, and 181 at least once across all editions.
What is the world average firms with quality certification?
This site does not calculate a world average, which would depend on how countries are weighted. In the middle country of the 172 compared in the 2026 edition, the figure was 10.314%.
Is this World Bank Group’s own ranking?
No ranking is shown. World Bank Group publishes values only, and too many countries share the same value for an ordering to mean anything, so none is derived.
How often is the Firms with an International Quality Certification published?
This site holds one edition, describing 2026.
Where does the data come from, and can I download it?
From World Bank Group, under CC BY 4.0. World Bank Enterprise Surveys on Data360, read from the full-precision bulk file, one reading per country from its most recent survey. Every edition is on this site’s Datasets pages as a full table, and downloads as a CSV file with every value unrounded.
10Method
Sources, method and citation
Source
Firms with an International Quality Certification — World Bank Group
World Bank Enterprise Surveys on Data360, read from the full-precision bulk file, one reading per country from its most recent survey.
Newest edition
Report year 2026Data year not recorded
Cite the source as: World Bank. Enterprise Surveys. Washington, DC: World Bank Group.
Licence: CC BY 4.0, checked 2026-10-03.
How this page reads the numbers
- No rank or position is shown: World Bank Group publishes values only, and too many countries share the same value for an ordering to mean anything.
- Which end is better follows the publisher’s own reading of the measure.
- A country is named at an end only when it holds that value alone. Where several share it, the page says how many and names none first.
- The file gives each country’s most recent reading, so the rows are from different years. Readings from before 2016 are listed but left out of every comparison on this page.
- Values are stored exactly as published and trimmed only for display. “The middle country” is the median of the countries measured, not a world average.
The file itself, column by column — where it came from, what each column holds, and every edition as a CSV — is on its dataset page.
Photographs
The countries at the top of this statistic, from their profiles: Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale, each used under the licence named.
- Netherlands — Traveler100, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Italy — Francisco Antunes, CC BY 2.0
- Greece — User:Ggia derivative work: Jjtkk, CC BY-SA 3.0
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). Firms with quality certification by country: Firms with an International Quality Certification, data from World Bank Group. https://nationsinquiry.com/statistics/firms-quality-certification