Countries by Logistics performance index: Efficiency of customs clearance process (1=low to 5=high)
Singapore leads all 169 ranked countries in the efficiency of customs clearance with a score of 4.2 out of 5, while Somalia ranks last at 1.5. That 2.7-point spread across the ranking reflects wide variation in how effectively countries facilitate cross-border trade through their customs processes. The data come from the World Bank's 2022 Logistics Performance Index survey.
Ranking 2022
Analysis
This metric measures the efficiency of the customs clearance process on a scale from 1 (worst) to 5 (best), as assessed through the World Bank's Logistics Performance Index. According to the source definition, data are from the Logistics Performance Index survey conducted by the World Bank in partnership with academic and international institutions and private companies and individuals engaged in international logistics; respondents evaluate eight countries on six core dimensions on a scale from 1 (worst) to 5 (best), with the eight countries chosen based on the most important export and import markets. The dataset covers 169 countries for the 2022 reference year, with 138 of those 169 countries (81.7%) having data from within the last seven years. All 100% of datapoints are classified as official-quality. No extreme outliers were detected at the 3-standard-deviation threshold, and average year-over-year change across the series is 10.4%, indicating moderate but not erratic movement between cycles.
The top of the ranking is dominated by high-income economies with well-developed trade infrastructure. Singapore holds rank 1 with a score of 4.2. Denmark and Switzerland share rank 2 at 4.1. Canada, Finland, and Sweden each score 4.0, occupying ranks 4 through 6. A cluster of five countries — Belgium, Germany, Japan, South Korea, and the Netherlands — all score 3.9 at ranks 7 through 11. Hong Kong SAR and Norway score 3.8 at rank 12. Among non-European economies in the upper tier, the United Arab Emirates scores 3.7 at rank 14, alongside Australia, Austria, France, Iceland, and the United States at the same rank and value.
In the middle of the ranking, scores cluster between 2.6 and 3.2, with many countries sharing identical values across different income levels and regions. India ranks 46th with a score of 3.0, alongside Saudi Arabia, Chile, and Czechia at the same value. Brazil ranks 55th at 2.9, and Mexico ranks 93rd at 2.5. A notable anomaly is the placement of the Central African Republic at rank 102 with a score of 2.4, identical to Russia (rank 102), Ukraine (rank 102), and Nigeria (rank 102). At the lower end, Somalia scores 1.5 at rank 169, Timor-Leste scores 1.63 at rank 168, and Burundi scores 1.69 at rank 167. Several conflict-affected or fragile states — including Yemen (1.7, rank 165), Libya (1.9, rank 159), and Afghanistan (2.1, rank 145) — cluster near the bottom.
Because the Logistics Performance Index relies on survey responses from logistics professionals, scores reflect perceptions rather than directly measured administrative outcomes. The number of respondents per country varies, which can affect score precision. Countries with lower trade volumes may receive fewer evaluations, introducing uncertainty into their scores. The fact that 31 of the 169 countries have data older than seven years further limits the comparability of some entries. Tied scores are common throughout the ranking — for example, 12 countries share a score of 2.4 at ranks 102 through 113 — which means ordinal rank differences within tied groups carry no substantive meaning. Survey-based metrics are also subject to respondent bias and may not capture recent administrative reforms or deteriorations.
Methodology
Metric: Efficiency of customs clearance process (LP.LPI.CUST.XQ). Source: World Bank World Development Indicators, 2022. As defined in the source, data are from the Logistics Performance Index survey conducted by the World Bank in partnership with academic and international institutions and private companies and individuals engaged in international logistics; respondents evaluate eight countries on six core dimensions on a scale from 1 (worst) to 5 (best), with the eight countries chosen based on the most important export and import markets. The ranking covers 169 countries. Of these, 138 (81.7%) have data from within the last seven years, and 100% of datapoints carry official-quality classification. The observed range is 1.50 (Somalia) to 4.20 (Singapore), a spread of 180%. No extreme outliers were identified at the 3-standard-deviation threshold. Average year-over-year change is 10.4%. Scores are expressed as absolute values on the 1-to-5 scale. Because the underlying data are survey-derived, results reflect professional perceptions of customs efficiency rather than administrative measurements, and coverage and precision may vary by country trade volume and respondent sample size.