Rwanda RW: Ease of Doing Business Index: 1=Most Business-friendly Regulations data was reported at 41.000 NA in 2017. Rwanda RW: Ease of Doing Business Index: 1=Most Business-friendly Regulations data is updated yearly, averaging 41.000 NA from Dec 2017 (Median) to 2017, with 1 observations. Rwanda RW: Ease of Doing Business Index: 1=Most Business-friendly Regulations data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Rwanda – Table RW.World Bank.WDI: Business Environment. Ease of doing business ranks economies from 1 to 190, with first place being the best. A high ranking (a low numerical rank) means that the regulatory environment is conducive to business operation. The index averages the country's percentile rankings on 10 topics covered in the World Bank's Doing Business. The ranking on each topic is the simple average of the percentile rankings on its component indicators.; ; World Bank, Doing Business project (http://www.doingbusiness.org/).; ; Data are presented for the survey year instead of publication year. Data before 2013 are not comparable with data from 2013 onward due to methodological changes.

In 2020, Rwanda scored ** points in the ease of doing business index. The country offers the best business environment in Africa, only after Mauritius. Specifically, Rwanda's attractiveness was high in terms of getting credit and registering property, which obtained a score of ** and ** index points, respectively. On the other hand, protecting minority investors was the main obstacle for enterprises operating there.

Abstract

The World Bank Enterprise Survey (WBES) is a firm-level survey of a representative sample of an economy's private sector. The surveys cover a broad range of topics related to the business environment including access to finance, corruption, infrastructure, competition, and performance.

Geographic coverage

National coverage

Analysis unit

The primary sampling unit of the study is the establishment. An establishment is a physical location where business is carried out and where industrial operations take place or services are provided. A firm may be composed of one or more establishments. For example, a brewery may have several bottling plants and several establishments for distribution. For the purposes of this survey an establishment must make its own financial decisions and have its own financial statements separate from those of the firm. An establishment must also have its own management and control over its payroll.

Universe

The universe of inference includes all formal (i.e., registered) private sector businesses (with at least 1% private ownership) and with at least five employees. In terms of sectoral criteria, all manufacturing businesses (ISIC Rev 4. codes 10-33) are eligible; for services businesses, those corresponding to the ISIC Rev 4 codes 41-43, 45-47, 49-53, 55-56, 58, 61-62, 69-75, 79, and 95 are included in the Enterprise Surveys. Cooperatives and collectives are excluded from the Enterprise Surveys. All eligible establishments must be registered with the registration agency. In the case of Rwanda, registration was from the Rwanda Revenue Authority (RRA).

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

The WBES use stratified random sampling, where the population of establishments is first separated into non-overlapping groups, called strata, and then respondents are selected through simple random sampling from each stratum. The detailed methodology is provided in the Sampling Note (https://www.enterprisesurveys.org/content/dam/enterprisesurveys/documents/methodology/Sampling_Note-Consolidated-2-16-22.pdf). Stratified random sampling has several advantages over simple random sampling. In particular, it:

• produces unbiased estimates of the whole population or universe of inference, as well as at the levels of stratification
• ensures representativeness by including observations in all of those categories
• produces more precise estimates for a given sample size or budget allocation, and
• may reduce implementation costs by splitting the population into convenient subdivisions.

The WBES typically use three levels of stratification: industry classification, establishment size, and subnational region (used in combination). Starting in 2022, the WBES bases the industry classification on ISIC Rev. 4 (with earlier surveys using ISIC Rev. 3.1). For regional coverage within a country, the WBES has national coverage.

Note: Refer to Sampling Structure section in "The Rwanda 2023 World Bank Enterprise Survey Implementation Report" for detailed methodology on sampling.

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Research instrument

The standard WBES questionnaire covers several topics regarding the business environment and business performance. These topics include general firm characteristics, infrastructure, sales and supplies, management practices, competition, innovation, capacity, land and permits, finance, business-government relations, exposure to bribery, labor, and performance. Information about the general structure of the questionnaire is available in the Enterprise Surveys Manual and Guide (https://www.enterprisesurveys.org/content/dam/enterprisesurveys/documents/methodology/Enterprise-Surveys-Manual-and-Guide.pdf).

The questionnaire implemented in the Rwanda 2023 WBES included additional questions tailored for the Business Ready Report covering infrastructure, trade, government regulations, finance, labor, and other topics.

Response rate

Overall survey response rate was 51.7%.

Rwanda RW: Distance to Frontier Score: 0=Lowest Performance To 100=Frontier data was reported at 73.400 NA in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 70.190 NA for 2016. Rwanda RW: Distance to Frontier Score: 0=Lowest Performance To 100=Frontier data is updated yearly, averaging 70.190 NA from Dec 2015 (Median) to 2017, with 3 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 73.400 NA in 2017 and a record low of 68.270 NA in 2015. Rwanda RW: Distance to Frontier Score: 0=Lowest Performance To 100=Frontier data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Rwanda – Table RW.World Bank.WDI: Business Environment. Distance to frontier score illustrates the distance of an economy to the 'frontier,' which represents the best performance observed on each Doing Business topic across all economies and years included since 2005. An economy's distance to frontier is indicated on a scale from 0 to 100, where 0 represents the lowest performance and 100 the frontier. For example, a score of 75 in 2012 means an economy was 25 percentage points away from the frontier constructed from the best performances across all economies and across time. A score of 80 in 2013 would indicate the economy is improving.; ; World Bank, Doing Business project (http://www.doingbusiness.org/).; Unweighted average; Data are presented for the survey year instead of publication year. Data before 2013 are not comparable with data from 2013 onward due to methodological changes.

Abstract

The survey was conducted in Rwanda between November 2019 and March 2020 by the World Bank Group (WBG). The objective of the Enterprise Survey is to gain an understanding of what firms experience in the private sector.

Geographic coverage

National coverage

Analysis unit

Unit of analysis is establishment. An establishment is a physical location where business is carried out and where industrial operations take place or services are provided. A firm may be composed of one or more establishments. For example, a brewery may have several bottling plants and several establishments for distribution. For the purposes of this survey an establishment must make its own financial decisions and have its own financial statements separate from those of the firm. An establishment must also have its own management and control over its payroll.

Universe

Rwanda ES was based on the following size stratification: small (5 to 19 employees), medium (20 to 99 employees), and large (100 or more employees).

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

The sample for 2019 Rwanda ES was selected using stratified random sampling, following the methodology explained in the Sampling Note.

Three levels of stratification were used in this country: industry, establishment size, and region.

Industry stratification was done as follows: Manufacturing – combining all the relevant activities (ISIC Rev. 4.0 codes 10-33), Retail (ISIC 47), and Other Services (ISIC 41-43, 45, 46, 49-53, 55, 56, 58, 61, 62, 79, 95).

For the Rwanda ES, size stratification was defined as follows: small (5 to 19 employees), medium (20 to 99 employees), and large (100 or more employees).

Regional stratification for the Rwanda ES was done across three regions: Kigali, Western Province and Southern Province.

Note: Refer to Sampling Structure section in "The Rwanda 2019 Enterprise Surveys Data Set" document for further details on sampling.

Mode of data collection

Computer Assisted Personal Interview [capi]

Research instrument

The structure of the data base reflects the fact that 2 different versions of the survey instrument were used for all registered establishments. Questionnaires have common questions (core module) and respectfully additional manufacturing- and services-specific questions. The eligible manufacturing industries have been surveyed using the Manufacturing questionnaire (includes the core module, plus manufacturing specific questions). Retail firms have been interviewed using the Services questionnaire (includes the core module plus retail specific questions) and the residual eligible services have been covered using the Services questionnaire (includes the core module). Each variation of the questionnaire is identified by the index variable, a0 (module).

Response rate

Survey non-response must be differentiated from item non-response. The former refers to refusals to participate in the survey altogether whereas the latter refers to the refusals to answer some specific questions. Enterprise Surveys suffer from both problems and different strategies were used to address these issues.

Item non-response was addressed by two strategies: a- For sensitive questions that may generate negative reactions from the respondent, such as corruption or tax evasion, enumerators were instructed to collect the refusal to respond (-8) as a different option from don’t know (-9).

b- Establishments with incomplete information were re-contacted in order to complete this information, whenever necessary. For this survey there were zero non-responses for the sales variable, d2. Please, note that for this specific question, refusals were not separately identified from “Don’t know” responses.

The number of interviews per contacted establishments was 57.0%.

Rwanda RW: Cost of Business Start-Up Procedures: % of GNI Per Capita: Female data was reported at 44.600 % in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 48.500 % for 2016. Rwanda RW: Cost of Business Start-Up Procedures: % of GNI Per Capita: Female data is updated yearly, averaging 55.000 % from Dec 2003 (Median) to 2017, with 15 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 235.300 % in 2003 and a record low of 4.700 % in 2011. Rwanda RW: Cost of Business Start-Up Procedures: % of GNI Per Capita: Female data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Rwanda – Table RW.World Bank.WDI: Company Statistics. Cost to register a business is normalized by presenting it as a percentage of gross national income (GNI) per capita.; ; World Bank, Doing Business project (http://www.doingbusiness.org/).; Unweighted average; Data are presented for the survey year instead of publication year.

A suitable business environment, supporting industries as well as governmental and private institutions are fundamental requirements for starting and doing business. As of 2020, the best African country to possess such facilities to accommodate businesses was *********, whose score for facilitating business enterprises stood at **** percent. Rwanda, Morocco, and Kenya followed, exceeding ** percent. ********* is actually the 13th best country in the world to open and facilitate business enterprises. The majority of the rest of the African countries scored between ** and ** percent in that regard. Less business-supportive countries were the Republic of the Congo, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central Africa, South Sudan, and Libya, as those countries' score did not exceed ** percent. This made them rather unsuitable environments for conducting businesses, as most essential requirements were missing to carry out businesses easily. Somalia and Eritrea scored ** percent and **** percent respectively, making them the least African countries to facilitate businesses in Africa as well as worldwide.

Ease of doing business score (0 = lowest performance to 100 = best performance) in Rwanda was reported at 76.48 in 2019, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Rwanda - Distance to frontier score (0=lowest performance to 100=frontier) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on August of 2025.

New businesses registered (number) in Rwanda was reported at 16105 number in 2020, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Rwanda - New businesses registered - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on August of 2025.

CPIA business regulatory environment rating (1=low to 6=high) in Rwanda was reported at 4.5 in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Rwanda - CPIA business regulatory environment rating (1=low to 6=high) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on August of 2025.

Abstract

Financial inclusion is critical in reducing poverty and achieving inclusive economic growth. When people can participate in the financial system, they are better able to start and expand businesses, invest in their children’s education, and absorb financial shocks. Yet prior to 2011, little was known about the extent of financial inclusion and the degree to which such groups as the poor, women, and rural residents were excluded from formal financial systems.

By collecting detailed indicators about how adults around the world manage their day-to-day finances, the Global Findex allows policy makers, researchers, businesses, and development practitioners to track how the use of financial services has changed over time. The database can also be used to identify gaps in access to the formal financial system and design policies to expand financial inclusion.

Geographic coverage

National coverage

Analysis unit

Individuals

Universe

The target population is the civilian, non-institutionalized population 15 years and above.

Kind of data

Observation data/ratings [obs]

Sampling procedure

The indicators in the 2017 Global Findex database are drawn from survey data covering almost 150,000 people in 144 economies-representing more than 97 percent of the world's population (see Table A.1 of the Global Findex Database 2017 Report for a list of the economies included). The survey was carried out over the 2017 calendar year by Gallup, Inc., as part of its Gallup World Poll, which since 2005 has annually conducted surveys of approximately 1,000 people in each of more than 160 economies and in over 150 languages, using randomly selected, nationally representative samples. The target population is the entire civilian, noninstitutionalized population age 15 and above. Interview procedure Surveys are conducted face to face in economies where telephone coverage represents less than 80 percent of the population or where this is the customary methodology. In most economies the fieldwork is completed in two to four weeks.

In economies where face-to-face surveys are conducted, the first stage of sampling is the identification of primary sampling units. These units are stratified by population size, geography, or both, and clustering is achieved through one or more stages of sampling. Where population information is available, sample selection is based on probabilities proportional to population size; otherwise, simple random sampling is used. Random route procedures are used to select sampled households. Unless an outright refusal occurs, interviewers make up to three attempts to survey the sampled household. To increase the probability of contact and completion, attempts are made at different times of the day and, where possible, on different days. If an interview cannot be obtained at the initial sampled household, a simple substitution method is used.

Respondents are randomly selected within the selected households. Each eligible household member is listed and the handheld survey device randomly selects the household member to be interviewed. For paper surveys, the Kish grid method is used to select the respondent. In economies where cultural restrictions dictate gender matching, respondents are randomly selected from among all eligible adults of the interviewer's gender.

In economies where telephone interviewing is employed, random digit dialing or a nationally representative list of phone numbers is used. In most economies where cell phone penetration is high, a dual sampling frame is used. Random selection of respondents is achieved by using either the latest birthday or household enumeration method. At least three attempts are made to reach a person in each household, spread over different days and times of day.

The sample size was 1000.

Mode of data collection

Computer Assisted Personal Interview [capi]

Research instrument

The questionnaire was designed by the World Bank, in conjunction with a Technical Advisory Board composed of leading academics, practitioners, and policy makers in the field of financial inclusion. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Gallup Inc. also provided valuable input. The questionnaire was piloted in multiple countries, using focus groups, cognitive interviews, and field testing. The questionnaire is available in more than 140 languages upon request.

Questions on cash on delivery, saving using an informal savings club or person outside the family, domestic remittances, and agricultural payments are only asked in developing economies and few other selected countries. The question on mobile money accounts was only asked in economies that were part of the Mobile Money for the Unbanked (MMU) database of the GSMA at the time the interviews were being held.

Sampling error estimates

Estimates of standard errors (which account for sampling error) vary by country and indicator. For country-specific margins of error, please refer to the Methodology section and corresponding table in Demirgüç-Kunt, Asli, Leora Klapper, Dorothe Singer, Saniya Ansar, and Jake Hess. 2018. The Global Findex Database 2017: Measuring Financial Inclusion and the Fintech Revolution. Washington, DC: World Bank

Rwanda RW: Time Required to Start a Business data was reported at 4.000 Day in 2017. This stayed constant from the previous number of 4.000 Day for 2016. Rwanda RW: Time Required to Start a Business data is updated yearly, averaging 7.000 Day from Dec 2003 (Median) to 2017, with 15 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 18.000 Day in 2005 and a record low of 4.000 Day in 2017. Rwanda RW: Time Required to Start a Business data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Rwanda – Table RW.World Bank: Company Statistics. Time required to start a business is the number of calendar days needed to complete the procedures to legally operate a business. If a procedure can be speeded up at additional cost, the fastest procedure, independent of cost, is chosen.; ; World Bank, Doing Business project (http://www.doingbusiness.org/).; Unweighted average; Data are presented for the survey year instead of publication year.

Abstract

The survey was conducted in Rwanda between June 2011 and February 2012 as part of the Africa Enterprise Survey 2011 rollout, an initiative of the World Bank. Data from 241 establishments was analyzed. Stratified random sampling was used to select the surveyed businesses.

The objective of the survey is to obtain feedback from enterprises on the state of the private sector as well as to help in building a panel of enterprise data that will make it possible to track changes in the business environment over time, thus allowing, for example, impact assessments of reforms. Through interviews with firms in the manufacturing and services sectors, the survey assesses the constraints to private sector growth and creates statistically significant business environment indicators that are comparable across countries.

The standard Enterprise Survey topics include firm characteristics, gender participation, access to finance, annual sales, costs of inputs and labor, workforce composition, bribery, licensing, infrastructure, trade, crime, competition, capacity utilization, land and permits, taxation, informality, business-government relations, innovation and technology, and performance measures. Over 90 percent of the questions objectively ascertain characteristics of a country’s business environment. The remaining questions assess the survey respondents’ opinions on what are the obstacles to firm growth and performance. The mode of data collection is face-to-face interviews.

Geographic coverage

Butare and Kigali City

Analysis unit

The primary sampling unit of the study is the establishment. An establishment is a physical location where business is carried out and where industrial operations take place or services are provided. A firm may be composed of one or more establishments. For example, a brewery may have several bottling plants and several establishments for distribution. For the purposes of this survey an establishment must make its own financial decisions and have its own financial statements separate from those of the firm. An establishment must also have its own management and control over its payroll.

Universe

The whole population, or the universe, covered in the Enterprise Surveys is the non-agricultural private economy. It comprises: all manufacturing sectors according to the ISIC Revision 3.1 group classification (group D), construction sector (group F), services sector (groups G and H), and transport, storage, and communications sector (group I). Note that this population definition excludes the following sectors: financial intermediation (group J), real estate and renting activities (group K, except sub-sector 72, IT, which was added to the population under study), and all public or utilities sectors. Companies with 100% government ownership are not eligible to participate in the Enterprise Surveys.

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

The sample for Ethiopia was selected using stratified random sampling. Three levels of stratification were used in this country: firm sector, firm size, and geographic region.

Industry stratification was designed in the way that follows: the universe was stratified into one manufacturing industry and one service as defined in the sampling manual. The manufacturing industry and service industry had a target each of 120 interviews.

Size stratification was defined following the standardized definition for the Enterprise Surveys: small (5 to 19 employees), medium (20 to 99 employees), and large (more than 99 employees). For stratification purposes, the number of employees was defined on the basis of reported permanent full-time workers. This seems to be an appropriate definition of the labor force since seasonal/casual/part-time employment is not a common practice, except in the sectors of construction and agriculture.

Regional stratification was defined in two regions (city and the surrounding business area): Butare and Kigali City.

For the Rwanda ES, two sample frames were used. The first was supplied by the World Bank and consists of enterprises interviewed in Rwanda 2006. The World Bank required that attempts should be made to re-interview establishments responding to the Rwanda 2006 survey where they were within the selected geographical regions and met eligibility criteria. Due to the fact that the previous round of surveys seemed to have utilized different stratification criteria (or no stratification at all) and due to the prevalence of small firm in the 2006 sample the following convention was used. The presence of panel firms was limited to a maximum of 50% of the achieved interviews. That sample is referred to as the Panel.

The second frame was produced by Rwanda Revenue Authority. A copy of that frame was sent to the TNS statistical team in London to select the establishments for interview.

The quality of the frame was assessed at the onset of the project through visits to a random subset of firms and local contractor knowledge. The sample frame was not immune from the typical problems found in establishment surveys: positive rates of noneligibility, repetition, non-existent units, etc. In addition, the sample frame contains no telephone or fax numbers so the local contractor had to screen the contacts by visiting them. Due to response rate and ineligibility issues, additional sample had to be extracted by the World Bank in order to obtain enough eligible contacts and meet the sample targets.

Given the impact that non-eligible units included in the sample universe may have on results, adjustments may be needed when computing the appropriate weights for individual observations. The percentage of confirmed non-eligible units as a proportion of the total number of sampled establishments contacted for the survey was was 18% (90 out of 506 establishments).

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Research instrument

The following survey instruments are available: - Manufacturing Module Questionnaire [ISIC Rev.3.1: 15-37] - Services Module Questionnaire [ISIC Rev.3.1: 45, 50, 51, 52, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64 & 72] - Screener Questionnaire.

The survey is fielded via manufacturing or services questionnaires in order not to ask questions that are irrelevant to specific types of firms, e.g. a question that relates to production and nonproduction workers should not be asked of a retail firm. In addition to questions that are asked across countries, all surveys are customized and contain country-specific questions. An example of customization would be including tourism-related questions that are asked in certain countries when tourism is an existing or potential sector of economic growth. Each version of the questionnaire is identified by the variable a0.

In the implementation of the Africa rollout 2011 an experiment was carried in some of the countries to better estimate the effects of the use of show cards in data collection. In some of the sections (i.e. Innovation) the enumerators were trained to alternatively implement the section using either show cards or asking only the questions without showing any cards. The variation is identified by the variable "cards".

Cleaning operations

Data entry and quality controls are implemented by the contractor and data is delivered to the World Bank in batches (typically 10%, 50% and 100%). These data deliveries are checked for logical consistency, out of range values, skip patterns, and duplicate entries. Problems are flagged by the World Bank and corrected by the implementing contractor through data checks, callbacks, and revisiting establishments.

All variables are named using, first, the letter of each section and, second, the number of the variable within the section, i.e. a1 denotes section A, question 1 (some exceptions apply due to comparability reasons). Variable names proceeded by a prefix "AF" indicate questions specific to Africa, therefore, they may not be found in the implementation of the rollout in other countries. All other suffixed variables are global and are present in all country surveys over the world. All variables are numeric with the exception of those variables with an "x" at the end of their names. The suffix "x" denotes that the variable is alpha-numeric.

Response rate

Survey non-response must be differentiated from item non-response. The former refers to refusals to participate in the survey altogether whereas the latter refers to the refusals to answer some specific questions. Enterprise Surveys suffer from both problems and different strategies were used to address these issues.

Item non-response was addressed by two strategies: a- For sensitive questions that may generate negative reactions from the respondent, such as corruption or tax evasion, enumerators were instructed to collect "Refusal to respond" (-8) as a different option from "Don't know" (-9); b- Establishments with incomplete information were re-contacted in order to complete this information, whenever necessary.

Survey non-response was addressed by maximizing efforts to contact establishments that were initially selected for interview. Attempts were made to contact the establishment for interview at different times, days of the week before a replacement establishment (with similar strata characteristics) was suggested for interview. Survey non-response did occur but substitutions were made in order to potentially achieve strata-specific goals.

The number of contacted establishments per realized interview was 0.48. This number is the result of two factors: explicit refusals to participate in the survey, as reflected by the rate of rejection (which

The average for 2019 based on 27 countries was 50.77 percent of per capita GNI. The highest value was in Somalia: 198.2 percent of per capita GNI and the lowest value was in Rwanda: 0 percent of per capita GNI. The indicator is available from 2003 to 2019. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

Abstract

The survey was conducted in Rwanda between November and December 2006. Data from 212 establishments were analyzed.

The Enterprise Surveys are applied to a representative sample of firms in the non-agricultural economy. The sample is consistently defined in all countries and includes the entire manufacturing sector, the services sector, and the transportation and construction sectors. Public utilities, government services, health care, and financial services sectors are not included in the sample. Enterprise Surveys collect a wide array of qualitative and quantitative information through face-to-face interviews with firm managers and owners regarding the business environment in their countries and the productivity of their firms. The topics covered in Enterprise Surveys include the obstacles to doing business, infrastructure, finance, labor, corruption and regulation, law and order, innovation and technology, trade, and firm productivity.

Geographic coverage

National

Analysis unit

The primary sampling unit of the study is the establishment. An establishment is a physical location where business is carried out and where industrial operations take place or services are provided. A firm may be composed of one or more establishments. For example, a brewery may have several bottling plants and several establishments for distribution. For the purposes of this survey an establishment must make its own financial decisions and have its own financial statements separate from those of the firm. An establishment must also have its own management and control over its payroll.

Universe

The whole population, or the universe, covered in the Enterprise Surveys is the non-agricultural economy. It comprises: all manufacturing sectors according to the ISIC Revision 3.1 group classification (group D), construction sector (group F), services sector (groups G and H), and transport, storage, and communications sector (group I). Note that this population definition excludes the following sectors: financial intermediation (group J), real estate and renting activities (group K, except sub-sector 72, IT, which was added to the population under study), and all public or utilities sectors.

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

The sample for countries participating in the Enterprise Surveys is stratified by industry, firm size, and geographic region.

For stratification by industry, the main manufacturing sectors in each country in terms of value added, number of firms, and contribution to employment are selected. The retail trade sector is also included in all countries as a representative of the services sector, and depending on the size of the economy, the information technology (IT) sector is included. The rest of the universe is included in a residual stratum. In Rwanda, Manufacturing sector included 59 firms, Retail sector - 56 companies and Other sectors (Residual) - 97 businesses.

Size stratification is defined the following way: small establishments (5 to 19 employees), medium establishments (20 to 99 employees), and large establishments (more than 99 employees).

Regional stratification includes the main economic regions in each country. In Rwanda, Butage and Kigali were surveyed.

Through this methodology, estimates for the different stratification levels can be calculated on a separate basis while at the same time inferences can be made for the economy as a whole, weighting individual observations by corresponding sample weights. Sample sizes for each stratification level are defined ensuring a minimum precision level of 7.5% with 95% confidence intervals for estimates with population proportions.

For more technical details on the sampling strategy, please review "Sampling Methodology" in "Technical Documents" folder.

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Research instrument

The current survey instruments are available: - Core Questionnaire + Manufacturing Module; - Core Questionnaire + Retail Module; - Core Questionnaire.

Most of the questions in all three questionnaires are the same.

The "Core Questionnaire" is the heart of the Enterprise Survey and contains the survey questions asked of all firms across the world. There are also two other survey instruments - the "Core Questionnaire + Manufacturing Module" and the "Core Questionnaire + Retail Module." The survey is fielded via three instruments in order to not ask questions that are irrelevant to specific types of firms, e.g. a question that relates to production and nonproduction workers should not be asked of a retail firm. In addition to questions that are asked across countries, all surveys are customized and contain country-specific questions. An example of customization would be including tourism-related questions that are asked in certain countries when tourism is an existing or potential sector of economic growth.

The standard Enterprise Survey topics include firm characteristics, gender participation, access to finance, annual sales, costs of inputs/labor, workforce composition, bribery, licensing, infrastructure, trade, crime, competition, capacity utilization, informality, business-government relations, conflict resolution and legal environment, innovation and technology, and performance measures. The questionnaires also assess respondents’ opinions on what are the obstacles to firm growth and performance.

Cleaning operations

Data entry and quality controls are implemented by the contractor and data is delivered to the World Bank in batches (typically 10%, 50% and 100%). These data deliveries are checked for logical consistency, out of range values, skip patterns, and duplicate entries. Problems are flagged by the World Bank and corrected by the implementing contractor through data checks, callbacks, and revisiting establishments.

Abstract

This research of private non-agricultural firms with less than five employees was conducted in Rwanda between November and December 2006, at the same time with 2006 Rwanda Enterprise Survey. Data from 128 establishments were analyzed.

Micro-Enterprise Survey topics include firm characteristics, gender participation, access to finance, annual sales, costs of inputs/labor, workforce composition, bribery, licensing, infrastructure, trade, crime, competition, capacity utilization, land and permits, taxation, informality, business-government relations, innovation and technology, and performance measures. The questionnaire also assesses the respondents' opinions on what are the obstacles to firm growth and performance.

Geographic coverage

National

Analysis unit

The survey targets manufacturing/services sectors establishments with one to four employees.

Universe

The whole population, or the universe, covered in the Enterprise Surveys is the non-agricultural economy. It comprises: all manufacturing sectors according to the ISIC Revision 3.1 group classification (group D), construction sector (group F), services sector (groups G and H), and transport, storage, and communications sector (group I). Note that this population definition excludes the following sectors: financial intermediation (group J), real estate and renting activities (group K, except sub-sector 72, IT, which was added to the population under study), and all public or utilities sectors.

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

Sampling techniques are similar for Rwanda Micro-Enterprise and Enterprise 2006 surveys.

In the Enterprise Survey, the universe is stratified by industry sectors, establishment size and regions. In the Micro-Enterprise Survey, stratification by size is missing: all businesses surveyed have less than five workers.

For more technical details on the sampling strategy for the Enterprise Surveys, please review "Sampling Methodology" in "Technical Documents" folder.

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Research instrument

The current survey instrument is available: Rwanda Micro-Enterprise Survey Questionnaire 2006.

Cleaning operations

Data entry and quality controls are implemented by the contractor and data is delivered to the World Bank in batches (typically 10%, 50% and 100%). These data deliveries are checked for logical consistency, out of range values, skip patterns, and duplicate entries. Problems are flagged by the World Bank and corrected by the implementing contractor through data checks, callbacks, and revisiting establishments.

Abstract

This research of registered businesses with one to four employees was conducted in Rwanda between June 2011 and February 2012, at the same time with Rwanda Enterprise Survey 2011. Data from 148 establishments was analyzed. Stratified random sampling was used to select the surveyed businesses. The objective of the survey is to obtain feedback from enterprises on the state of the private sector and constraints to its growth.

Micro-Enterprise Survey topics include firm characteristics, gender participation, access to finance, annual sales, costs of inputs and labor, workforce composition, bribery, licensing, infrastructure, trade, crime, competition, capacity utilization, land and permits, taxation, informality, AIDS, business-government relations, innovation and technology, and performance measures. Over 90 percent of the questions objectively ascertain characteristics of a country's business environment. The remaining questions assess the survey respondents' opinions on what are the obstacles to firm growth and performance.

Geographic coverage

Butare and Kigali City

Analysis unit

The primary sampling unit of the study is the establishment. An establishment is a physical location where business is carried out and where industrial operations take place or services are provided. A firm may be composed of one or more establishments. For example, a brewery may have several bottling plants and several establishments for distribution. For the purposes of this survey an establishment must make its own financial decisions and have its own financial statements separate from those of the firm. An establishment must also have its own management and control over its payroll.

Universe

The whole population, or the universe, covered in the Enterprise Surveys is the non-agricultural private economy. It comprises: all manufacturing sectors according to the ISIC Revision 3.1 group classification (group D), construction sector (group F), services sector (groups G and H), and transport, storage, and communications sector (group I). Note that this population definition excludes the following sectors: financial intermediation (group J), real estate and renting activities (group K, except sub-sector 72, IT, which was added to the population under study), and all public or utilities sectors. Companies with 100% government ownership are not eligible to participate in the Enterprise Surveys.

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

The sample was selected using stratified random sampling technique. Two levels of stratification were used: firm sector and geographic region.

Industry stratification was designed in the way that follows: the universe was stratified into one manufacturing industry and one service industry. The sample design for the micro-survey targeted 170 establishments: 18 in manufacturing and 152 in services.

Regional stratification was defined in two regions: Butare and Kigali City.

The micro sample consists of firms with 1 to 4 employees. For stratification purposes, the number of employees was defined on the basis of reported permanent full-time workers. This seems to be an appropriate definition of the labor force since seasonal, casua and part-time employment is not a common practice, except in the sectors of construction and agriculture.

The sample frame was produced by Rwanda Revenue Authority. The enumerated bussinesses with less than five employees were used as sample frame for the Rwanda Micro-Survey with the aim of obtaining interviews at 170 establishments.

The quality of the frame was assessed at the onset of the project through visits to a random subset of firms and local contractor knowledge. The sample frame was not immune from the typical problems found in establishment surveys: positive rates of noneligibility, repetition, non-existent units, etc. In addition, the sample frame contains no telephone or fax numbers so the local contractor had to screen the contacts by visiting them. Due to response rate and ineligibility issues, additional sample had to be extracted by the World Bank in order to obtain enough eligible contacts and meet the sample targets.

Given the impact that non-eligible units included in the sample universe may have on the results, adjustments may be needed when computing the appropriate weights for individual observations. The percentage of confirmed non-eligible units as a proportion of the total number of sampled establishments contacted for the survey was 15% (66 out of 433) for micro firms.

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Research instrument

The following survey instruments are available: - Manufacturing Module Questionnaire [ISIC Rev.3.1: 15-37] - Services Module Questionnaire [ISIC Rev.3.1: 45, 50, 51, 52, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64 & 72] - Screener Questionnaire.

The survey is fielded via manufacturing or services questionnaires in order not to ask questions that are irrelevant to specific types of firms, e.g. a question that relates to production and nonproduction workers should not be asked of a retail firm. In addition to questions that are asked across countries, all surveys are customized and contain country-specific questions. An example of customization would be including tourism-related questions that are asked in certain countries when tourism is an existing or potential sector of economic growth. Each version of the questionnaire is identified by the variable a0.

In the implementation of the Africa rollout 2011 an experiment was carried in some of the countries to better estimate the effects of the use of show cards in data collection. In some of the sections (i.e. Innovation) the enumerators were trained to alternatively implement the section using either show cards or asking only the questions without showing any cards. The variation is identified by the variable "cards".

Cleaning operations

Data entry and quality controls are implemented by the contractor and data is delivered to the World Bank in batches (typically 10%, 50% and 100%). These data deliveries are checked for logical consistency, out of range values, skip patterns, and duplicate entries. Problems are flagged by the World Bank and corrected by the implementing contractor through data checks, callbacks, and revisiting establishments.

All variables are named using, first, the letter of each section and, second, the number of the variable within the section, i.e. a1 denotes section A, question 1 (some exceptions apply due to comparability reasons). Variable names proceeded by a prefix "AF" indicate questions specific to Africa, therefore, they may not be found in the implementation of the rollout in other countries. All other suffixed variables are global and are present in all country surveys over the world. All variables are numeric with the exception of those variables with an "x" at the end of their names. The suffix "x" denotes that the variable is alpha-numeric.

Response rate

Survey non-response must be differentiated from item non-response. The former refers to refusals to participate in the survey altogether whereas the latter refers to the refusals to answer some specific questions. Enterprise Surveys suffer from both problems and different strategies were used to address these issues.

Item non-response was addressed by two strategies: a- For sensitive questions that may generate negative reactions from the respondent, such as corruption or tax evasion, enumerators were instructed to collect "Refusal to respond" (-8) as a different option from "Don't know" (-9). b- Establishments with incomplete information were re-contacted in order to complete this information, whenever necessary.

Survey non-response was addressed by maximizing efforts to contact establishments that were initially selected for interview. Attempts were made to contact the establishment for interview at different times, days of the week before a replacement establishment (with similar strata characteristics) was suggested for interview. Survey non-response did occur but substitutions were made in order to potentially achieve strata-specific goals.

The number of contacted micro establishments per realized interview was 0.34. This number is the result of two factors: explicit refusals to participate in the survey, as reflected by the rate of rejection (which includes rejections of the screener and the main survey) and the quality of the sample frame, as represented by the presence of ineligible units. The number of rejections per contact was 0.18.

Complete information regarding the sampling methodology, sample frame, weights, response rates, and implementation can be found in "Description of Rwanda ES 2011 Implementation" in Technical Documents.

Rwanda RW: Start-Up Procedures to Register a Business: Male data was reported at 5.000 Number in 2017. This stayed constant from the previous number of 5.000 Number for 2016. Rwanda RW: Start-Up Procedures to Register a Business: Male data is updated yearly, averaging 7.000 Number from Dec 2003 (Median) to 2017, with 15 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 9.000 Number in 2007 and a record low of 5.000 Number in 2017. Rwanda RW: Start-Up Procedures to Register a Business: Male data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Rwanda – Table RW.World Bank: Company Statistics. Start-up procedures are those required to start a business, including interactions to obtain necessary permits and licenses and to complete all inscriptions, verifications, and notifications to start operations. Data are for businesses with specific characteristics of ownership, size, and type of production.; ; World Bank, Doing Business project (http://www.doingbusiness.org/).; Unweighted average; Data are presented for the survey year instead of publication year.

Abstract

This research is a survey of unregistered businesses conducted in Rwanda from June to July 2011, simultaneously with Rwanda 2011 Enterprise Survey. Data from 240 informal businesses was analyzed.

The objective of World Bank firm-level surveys is to obtain feedback from enterprises in client countries on the state of the private sector, assess the constraints to private sector growth and create statistically significant business environment indicators that are comparable across countries.

Informal survey questionnaires are a shorter, tailored to unregistered businesses, version of Enterprise Survey questionnaires. The topics include general information about a business, infrastructure and services, sales and supplies, crime, sources and access to finance, business-government relationship, assets, AIDS and sickness (for African region), bribery, workforce composition, obstacles to get registration, reasons for not registering, and benefits that an establishment could get from registration. Business owners or managers are interviewed face-to-face.

The Informal Surveys are conducted using a uniform sampling methodology in order to minimize measurement error and yield data that are comparable across the world's economies.

Geographic coverage

Kigali and Butare

Analysis unit

The primary sampling unit of Informal Surveys is an unregistered establishment. For Rwanda, informal firms were defined as those not registered with the Rwanda Development Board.

Universe

The whole population, or the universe, covered in the survey is the non-agricultural informal economy. It comprises manufacturing and services businesses.

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

In each country, Informal Surveys are conducted in selected urban centers, which are intended to coincide with the locations for the implementation of the main Enterprise Surveys. The overall number of interviews is pre-determined, and these interviews are distributed between the two urban centers, according to criteria such as the level of business activity and each urban center's population, etc.

In Rwanda, the urban centers identified were Kigali and Butare. The target sample was 120 interviews for each urban center.

Sampling is conducted within clearly delineated sampling areas, which are geographically determined divisions within each urban center. Sampling areas are defined at the beginning of fieldwork, and are delineated according to the concentration and geographical dispersion of informal business activity. After the sampling sizes are defined for each location every city is divided into several areas that may or may not correspond to the administrative districts.

In both Kigali and Butare, for a total of 240 interviews, 16 sampling areas were identified: 12 in Kigali (Kimisagara, Muhima, Gitega, Nyamirambo, Remera, Gatsata, Gisozi, Kimironko, Rusororo/Kabuga, Gikondo, Gatenga and Kabeza/Kanombe) and 4 in Butare Mukoni, Rwabuye, Rwabuyanga, Centre Ville de Butare). Each area was divided in several sectors. In total 66 sectors were created.

In order to provide information on diverse aspects of the informal economy, the sample is designed to have equal proportions of services and manufacturing sectors (50:50). These sectors are defined by responses provided by each informal business to a question on the business's main activity included in the screener portion of the questionnaire.

As a general rule, services must constitute an ongoing business enterprise and so exclude the sale of manual labor. Manufacturing activity in the informal sector includes business activity requiring inputs and/or intermediate goods. Thus, for example, the processing of coffee, sugar, oil, dried fruit, or other processed foods is considered manufacturing, while the simple selling of these goods falls under services. If an informal business conducts a mixture of these activities, the business is considered under the manufacturing stratum.

Thus, each sampling area was designed with the goal of obtaining two interviews in services and two interviews in manufacturing. Each sampling area, including its two starting points, were delineated using Google maps, with the GPS coordinates of the starting points being systematically recorded.

The interviewers were instructed to attempt an interview at every address passed until 4 completed interviews were achieved. Once the 4 interviews were completed in each sector (two services and two manufacturing firms), the interviewer moved to the next start point.

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Research instrument

One version of the questionnaire was used for all interviews.

Cleaning operations

Data entry and quality controls are implemented by the contractor and data is delivered to the World Bank in batches (typically 10%, 50% and 100%). These data deliveries are checked for logical consistency, out of range values, skip patterns, and duplicate entries. Problems are flagged by the World Bank and corrected by the implementing contractor through data checks, callbacks, and revisiting establishments.

All variables are named using, first, the letter of each section and, second, the number of the variable within the section, i.e. a1 denotes section A, question 1 (some exceptions apply due to comparability reasons). Variable names proceeded by a prefix "AF" indicate questions specific to Africa, therefore, they may not be found in the implementation of the rollout in other countries. All other suffixed variables are global and are present in all country surveys over the world. All variables are numeric with the exception of those variables with an "x" at the end of their names. The suffix "x" denotes that the variable is alpha-numeric.

Rwanda RW: Profit Tax: % of Commercial Profits data was reported at 25.700 % in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 25.800 % for 2016. Rwanda RW: Profit Tax: % of Commercial Profits data is updated yearly, averaging 25.700 % from Dec 2005 (Median) to 2017, with 13 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 28.000 % in 2006 and a record low of 23.900 % in 2008. Rwanda RW: Profit Tax: % of Commercial Profits data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Rwanda – Table RW.World Bank.WDI: Business Environment. Profit tax is the amount of taxes on profits paid by the business.; ; World Bank, Doing Business project (http://www.doingbusiness.org/).; Unweighted average; Data are presented for the survey year instead of publication year.