Costa Rica best for SMEs

Thanks to the facilities offered to entrepreneurs and a culture that supports and encourages them, Costa Rica is the best country in the region to start a business and eighth best in Latin America, according to the annual GEDI Index, published last week by the Global Entrepreneurship and Development Institute.

No country in the region rates high on the world list, with Costa Rica in the 60th position.

On the other hand, Costa Rica improved seven positions from last year.

Panama was second in the region and Guatemala was last.

First place in the world went to the United States, while Bangladesh was last.

The index analyzes the entrepreneurial capacity of 120 economies (figures in parentheses indicate the global position of each Central American country).

1. Costa Rica (60)
2. Panama (65)
3. El Salvador (78)
4. Honduras (100)
5. Nicaragua (103)
6. Guatemala (107)