2021 Investment Climate Statements

The Investment Climate Statements address market conditions, including issues critical to maintaining high standards, such as labor protections, environmental considerations, and responsible business conduct.  Topics include:  Openness to Investment, Legal and Regulatory Systems, Protection of Real and Intellectual Property Rights, Financial Sector, State-Owned Enterprises, Responsible Business Conduct, and Corruption.

A welcoming investment climate can help attract high quality, durable investment and support global recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.  The reports highlight those areas in which countries have improved local investment conditions, as well as remaining barriers that may hinder opportunities for U.S. companies.

Our diplomatic and consular posts overseas are working with partner countries to address these barriers, creating opportunities for Americans and U.S. businesses at home and around the world.  Transparent and predictable business climates not only attract international investors, they also help spur domestic investment and are key to long-term economic growth and development.

The Investment Climate Statements also form a chapter of the Department of Commerce’s Country Commercial Guides and can be read together with those guides for a broad description of the investment and business environments in foreign economies.

The Country Commercial Guide’s are prepared annually for around 140 countries by Commerce’s Global Markets/U.S. & Foreign Commercial Service (GM/US&FCS) and State’s Partner Post Program.  The Country Commercial Guides are published on https://www.trade.gov/ccg-landing-page and incorporate input from other U.S. Government agencies.

Topics include: a market overview; leading sectors for U.S. exports; customs, regulations and standards; techniques for selling U.S. products and services; and business travel. The section on selling U.S. goods and services includes country-specific information on distribution and sales channels, eCommerce, trade financing, selling to the public sector, and other selling techniques.

The Country Commercial Guides provide the foundation for a U.S. company’s research in preparing international business plans or responding to overseas market opportunities. They are also used by individual U.S. companies that are exporting or planning to export, as well as by trade partners to provide export counseling, trade promotion, and export education.