Lending volumes and credit conditions for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have gradually improved, according to a new report from the OECD, but demand-side obstacles such as a lack of financial knowledge are contributing to holding back a stronger recovery.

Practical actions for companies to identify and address the worst forms of child labour in mineral supply chains is for use by companies to help them identify, mitigate and account for the risks of child labour in their mineral supply chains. It builds on the due diligence framework of the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas.

Drawing on data presented in the 2017 OECD Business and Finance Outlook, this article looks at some of the forces influencing recent economic developments and asks what can be done to ensure a “fairer” global economy.

Kyiv, 24-27 July 2017: The OECD, within the framework of the OECD Anti-Corruption Project for Ukraine, and in cooperation with Ukraine's Asset Recovery and Management Agency (ARMA) and the Council of Europe (CoE), has conducted a four-day training for the first recruits of ARMA.

Evidence on the role played by investment in global value chains (GVCs) can assist policy work on GVCs, trade, investment and development. Drawing on new and improved measures of trade and investment, these country notes provide relevant statistical information from OECD databases on trade, investment, the activities of multinational enterprises and global value chains.

Ukraine has achieved remarkable progress on anti-corruption reforms since the 2014 Revolution of Dignity. Despite these major achievements, there is a serious risk of backsliding on reforms, according to a new OECD report.

This paper reviews alleged societal benefits and costs of International Investment Agreements (IIAs) as suggested by academia, governments, business and civil society. It sets out the wide range of issues that diverse actors have proposed in the context of assessing the societal benefits and costs of IIAs.

In the wake of the collapse of the Rana Plaza garment factory in Bangladesh in 2013, initiatives to strengthen regulation of global supply chains in the textile and garment sector have multiplied. Tackling the issues involved requires sustained collaboration among industry, government, worker organisations and civil society. This project promotes such collaboration as well as the harmonisation of existing standards in the sector.

30/01/2018 - The China National Textile and Apparel Council (CNTAC) and the OECD today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that sets out their commitment to intensify co-operation to promote responsible business in global textile and apparel supply chains.

This report is part of a series of assessments on Colombian gold supply chains and the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas. It analyses conditions of mineral extraction and related risks.

This project supports Ukraine in its fight against corruption with a view to to strengthening the country's legal and institutional capacity to effectively detect, investigate and prosecute high-profile and complex corruption.

As part of the implementation strategy for the recently adopted OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains in the Garment and Footwear Sector, the OECD is conducting a series of surveys that target SMEs operating within the sector.

29/03/2018 - The OECD Working Party on Responsible Business Conduct is seeking candidates for a new Chairs to assist in implementing and promoting the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises.

This annual, multi-stakeholder forum provides the opportunity to review and discuss compliance and implementation of the OECD Due Diligence Guidance, the ICGLR Regional Certification Mechanism and other initiatives to enable responsible mineral supply chains.

Housing Index in Spain increased to 1652.80 EUR/SQ. METRE in the fourth quarter of 2019 from 1638.30 EUR/SQ. METRE in the third quarter of 2019. Housing Index in Spain averaged 1183.81 EUR/SQ. METRE from 1987 until 2019, reaching an all time high of 2101.40 EUR/SQ. METRE in the first quarter of 2008 and a record low of 266.43 EUR/SQ. METRE in the first quarter of 1987. In Spain, Housing Index is measured by the price of home ownership of the property market per square meter. This page provides the latest reported value for - Spain House Prices - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

An overview of the long-term care situation in Spain is available here.

This book discusses scientific and technological tools at the centre of a renewed interest in marine biotechnology that is contributing to a new bioeconomy sector in many countries and offering potential new solutions to global challenges.

Ireland continues to make substantive headway in improving health outcomes, but more can be done in reducing risk-factors for major diseases and improving value-for-money in health spending, according to a new OECD report.

Air pollution is costing advanced economies plus China and India an estimated USD 3.5 trillion a year in premature deaths and ill health and the costs will rise without government action to limit vehicle emissions, a new OECD report says.

Health spending has started to rise again after stagnating or even falling in many OECD countries during the crisis. But the pace of growth remains well below pre-crisis rates, especially in Europe, according to OECD Health Statistics 2014.

There’s a quiet revolution afoot: health data are increasingly collected, stored and used in digital form.

Healthcare costs are rising so fast in advanced economies that they will become unaffordable by mid-century without reforms, according to a new OECD report.

Too many lives are still lost in OECD countries because healthcare quality is improving too slowly to cope with ageing populations and the growing number of people with one or more chronic diseases, according to a new OECD report.

In the ten years since the introduction of Seguro Popular, some 50 million Mexicans previously at risk of unaffordable health care bills now have access to health insurance. The OECD Review of Health Systems: Mexico 2016 finds that the share of the population exposed to unaffordable or impoverishing health care costs has fallen from 3.3% to 0.8% of the population in the past decade.

World Cancer Day: Where do OECD countries stand in the “war against cancer”?

Outdoor air pollution could cause 6 to 9 million premature deaths a year by 2060 and cost 1% of global GDP – around USD 2.6 trillion annually – as a result of sick days, medical bills and reduced agricultural output, unless action is taken, according to a new OECD report.

Italy is slowly emerging from a deep and lengthy recession, helped by a range of structural reforms – such as the Jobs Act – and accommodative monetary and fiscal policies, according to a new OECD report.

The OECD is launching an online consultation: tell us how we can improve sustainable access to innovative therapies!

Read about our groundbreaking report on inequality - In it Together: Why less inequality benefits all - as well as our recent work on tackling harmful alcohol use. You can also find here all our work on employment, migration, health and social policy over the last few months, as well as highlights from this summer's OECD Forum which addressed the theme "Investing in the future: people, planet, prosperity”.

Healthier lifestyles, higher incomes and better education have all contributed to boost life expectancy in recent decades. Better health care has also helped, according to a new OECD report.

This report identifies, and seeks to address, key challenges for the responsible development of neurotechnology. In particular, it analyses frameworks and mechanisms for integrating social concerns in the early development of technology, and discusses best practices for research funders across the public and private sector.

Australia’s labour market reforms over the past 15 years have boosted employment and cut welfare benefit dependency.

Australia delivered USD 5.44 billion in official development assistance (ODA) last year, or 0.36% of its gross national income. It is the eighth most generous country in the OECD’s Development Assistance Committee (DAC), which groups the world’s major donors. Australia’s goal is to reach 0.5% of GNI by 2017 – a goal the DAC encourages it to follow through on, given its good track record and relatively strong economy.

Global Value Chains (GVCs) are a dominant feature of the world economy that impact growth, jobs and development, but numerous challenges remain to ensure that all countries and all firms have the opportunity to participate and benefit.

In a boost for international efforts to strengthen co-operation against offshore tax evasion, seven new countries have joined the agreement to exchange information automatically under the OECD/G20 standard.

Australia should provide early access to more intensive employment services for disadvantaged laid-off workers to help them find a new job more quickly, according to a new OECD report.

Australia should follow up on the reform of its vocational education system by improving quality control in the VET sector and step up career guidance for young people to boost young people’s job prospects and reduce the share of under-30-year-olds who are not in employment, education or training (NEETs), according to a new OECD report.

Australia’s active global engagement on development and its focus on fragile small island states and disaster risk reduction are commendable. However successive cuts to the country’s aid budget since 2013 are impairing its efforts, according to the latest DAC Peer Review of Australia.

Ukraine scored 56.99 points out of 100 on the 2018 Global Competitiveness Report published by the World Economic Forum. Competitiveness Index in Ukraine averaged 16.02 Points from 2007 until 2019, reaching an all time high of 57.03 Points in 2018 and a record low of 3.90 Points in 2011. The most recent 2018 edition of Global Competitiveness Report assesses 140 economies. The report is made up of 98 variables, from a combination of data from international organizations as well as from the World Economic Forum’s Executive Opinion Survey. The variables are organized into twelve pillars with the most important including: institutions; infrastructure; ICT adoption; macroeconomic stability; health; skills; product market; labour market; financial system; market size; business dynamism; and innovation capability. The GCI varies between 1 and 100, higher average score means higher degree of competitiveness. With the 2018 edition, the World Economic Forum introduced a new methodology, aiming to integrate the notion of the 4th Industrial Revolution into the definition of competitiveness. It emphasizes the role of human capital, innovation, resilience and agility, as not only drivers but also defining features of economic success in the 4th Industrial Revolution. This page provides the latest reported value for - Ukraine Competitiveness Index - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

Ukraine is the 85 most competitive nation in the world out of 140 countries ranked in the 2018 edition of the Global Competitiveness Report published by the World Economic Forum. Competitiveness Rank in Ukraine averaged 79.69 from 2007 until 2019, reaching an all time high of 89 in 2011 and a record low of 69 in 2007. The most recent 2018 edition of Global Competitiveness Report assesses 140 economies. In 2018, the World Economic Forum introduced a new methodology emphasizing the role of human capital, innovation, resilience and agility, as not only drivers but also defining features of economic success in the 4th Industrial Revolution. As a result, the GCI scale changed to 1 to 100 from 1 to 7, with higher average score meaning higher degree of competitiveness. The report is made up of 98 variables organized into twelve pillars with the most important including: institutions; infrastructure; ICT adoption; macroeconomic stability; health; skills; product market; labour market; financial system; market size; business dynamism; and innovation capability. This page provides the latest reported value for - Ukraine Competitiveness Rank - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

Gold Reserves in Ukraine remained unchanged at 24.57 Tonnes in the fourth quarter of 2019 from 24.57 Tonnes in the third quarter of 2019. Gold Reserves in Ukraine averaged 25.03 Tonnes from 2000 until 2019, reaching an all time high of 42.61 Tonnes in the first quarter of 2014 and a record low of 13.40 Tonnes in the first quarter of 2000. Gold Reserves are country’s gold assets held or controlled by the central bank. This page provides - Ukraine Gold Reserves - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Ukraine is ranked 64 among 190 economies in the ease of doing business, according to the latest World Bank annual ratings. The rank of Ukraine improved to 64 in 2019 from 71 in 2018. Ease of Doing Business in Ukraine averaged 108.33 from 2008 until 2019, reaching an all time high of 152 in 2011 and a record low of 64 in 2019. The Ease of doing business index ranks countries against each other based on how the regulatory environment is conducive to business operationstronger protections of property rights. Economies with a high rank (1 to 20) have simpler and more friendly regulations for businesses. This page includes a chart with historical data for Ease of Doing Business in Ukraine.

Ukraine recorded a Current Account deficit of 3.60 percent of the country's Gross Domestic Product in 2018. Current Account to GDP in Ukraine averaged -1.08 percent from 1992 until 2018, reaching an all time high of 10.60 percent in 2004 and a record low of -8.70 percent in 2013. The Current account balance as a percent of GDP provides an indication on the level of international competitiveness of a country. Usually, countries recording a strong current account surplus have an economy heavily dependent on exports revenues, with high savings ratings but weak domestic demand. On the other hand, countries recording a current account deficit have strong imports, a low saving rates and high personal consumption rates as a percentage of disposable incomes. This page provides - Ukraine Current Account to GDP - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Terrorism Index in Ukraine decreased to 5.55 in 2018 from 6.05 in 2017. Terrorism Index in Ukraine averaged 3.06 from 2002 until 2018, reaching an all time high of 7.20 in 2014 and a record low of 0.15 in 2007. The Global Terrorism Index measures the direct and indirect impact of terrorism, including its effects on lives lost, injuries, property damage and the psychological aftereffects. It is a composite score that ranks countries according to the impact of terrorism from 0 (no impact) to 10 (highest impact).

Housing Index in Ukraine increased to 7.90 percent in the fourth quarter of 2019 from 6.40 percent in the third quarter of 2019. Housing Index in Ukraine averaged 5.58 percent from 2017 until 2019, reaching an all time high of 7.90 percent in the fourth quarter of 2019 and a record low of 2.20 percent in the first quarter of 2017. In Ukraine, Housing Index is measured by the annual change in the House Prices Index of New Housing. This page provides - Ukraine Housing Index- actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Ukraine is the 126 least corrupt nation out of 175 countries, according to the 2019 Corruption Perceptions Index reported by Transparency International. Corruption Rank in Ukraine averaged 117.45 from 1998 until 2019, reaching an all time high of 152 in 2011 and a record low of 69 in 1998. The Corruption Perceptions Index ranks countries and territories based on how corrupt their public sector is perceived to be. A country or territory's rank indicates its position relative to the other countries and territories in the index. This page provides the latest reported value for - Ukraine Corruption Rank - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

The Sales Tax Rate in Ukraine stands at 20 percent. In Ukraine, the sales tax rate is a tax charged to consumers based on the purchase price of certain goods and services. The benchmark we use for the sales tax rate refers to the highest rate. Revenues from the Sales Tax Rate are an important source of income for the government of Ukraine. This page provides - Ukraine Sales Tax Rate - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Ukraine was worth 140 billion US dollars in 2019, according to official data from the World Bank and projections from Trading Economics. The GDP value of Ukraine represents 0.12 percent of the world economy. GDP in Ukraine averaged 91.15 USD Billion from 1987 until 2019, reaching an all time high of 183.31 USD Billion in 2013 and a record low of 31.26 USD Billion in 2000. The gross domestic product (GDP) measures of national income and output for a given country's economy. The gross domestic product (GDP) is equal to the total expenditures for all final goods and services produced within the country in a stipulated period of time. This page provides the latest reported value for - Ukraine GDP - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Ukraine expanded 1.50 percent in the fourth quarter of 2019 over the same quarter of the previous year. GDP Annual Growth Rate in Ukraine averaged 2.64 percent from 2000 until 2019, reaching an all time high of 14.30 percent in the third quarter of 2004 and a record low of -19.60 percent in the first quarter of 2009. On the production side, services are the biggest sector of Ukrainian economy and account for nearly 68 percent of total GDP, of which the most important are; domestic trade (14 percent) and accommodation and food service (13 percent). Industry accounts for 22 percent of GDP and is divided by manufacturing (11 percent); and agriculture (10 percent). This page provides - Ukraine GDP Annual Growth Rate - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Unemployment Rate in Ukraine increased to 8.70 percent in the fourth quarter of 2019 from 7.30 percent in the third quarter of 2019. Unemployment Rate in Ukraine averaged 8.55 percent from 2003 until 2019, reaching an all time high of 10.60 percent in the fourth quarter of 2014 and a record low of 6.30 percent in the third quarter of 2013. In Ukraine, the unemployment rate measures the number of people actively looking for a job as a percentage of the labour force. This page provides the latest reported value for - Ukraine Unemployment Rate - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.