Ireland 4th best country for business, Denmark reigns supreme

18 Dec 2015

Ireland remains the fourth best country to do business according to Forbes’ annual rankings, trailing behind Denmark, New Zealand and Norway.

Having topped this particular chart in 2013, this is the second consecutive year that Ireland finished fourth in Forbes’ findings, which looked at 11 different metrics.

With a GDP of $246bn, Ireland ranked sixth for tax burden, ninth for monetary freedom, 21st for innovation and 24th for red tape.

Sweden, Finland, Canada, Singapore, Netherlands and the UK rounded out the top 10, making Ireland the highest Eurozone country on the list.

The US slipped out of the top 20, continuing a six-year descent from its 2009 high of second spot.

The news has pleased Mazars, which has lauded initiatives such as the publication of the ‘Road Map for Ireland’s Tax Competitiveness’ as an example of the pro-business mood here.

Calling Forbes’ ranking “a welcomed international acknowledgement” Cormac Kelleher, tax director at Mazars, said he reckons the hoped-for 5pc growth of the Irish economy next year will further our position.

Denmark’s position at the top of the pile is now a regular occurrence, finishing top of Forbes’ ranking six times in the 10 occasions that the list has been compiled.

Earlier today Interxion reported on several reasons why Ireland is well positioned to dominate the data hosting industry, which is set to explode as cloud adoption continues to thrive (and EU legislation changes the playing field).

Forbes’ Best Countries For Business 2015

  • Denmark
  • New Zealand
  • Norway
  • Ireland
  • Sweden
  • Finland
  • Canada
  • Singapore
  • Netherlands
  • United Kingdom

Grand Canal Docks in Dublin via Shutterstock

Gordon Hunt was a journalist with Silicon Republic

editorial@siliconrepublic.com