Finland’s business environment is the best in the world during the next five years, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit’s (EIU) widely respected Business Environment Rankings. Finland achieved an overall score of 8.31 (on a 1-10 scale) based on scores for 91 indicators, reflecting the main criteria used by companies to formulate their global business strategies and investment location decisions. Finland overtook Singapore and Hong Kong to climb to the top of the global rankings.

According to the EIU report, “Despite the sharp contraction expected in 2009, Finland has the best business environment in the next five years.” Finland’s business environment was already ranked third best in the world in the previous Business Environment Rankings published for the period 2004-2008.

Finland’s ranking is all the more significant considering the EIU’s analysis of a deteriorating global business environment, which “reflects worsening market opportunities, increased macroeconomic and political risk, and problems in financial systems.”