The OECD STRI is a unique, evidence-based tool that collects information on services trade restrictions across 19 major services sectors. The project has two distinct but complementary instruments: a services trade regulatory database and a services trade restrictiveness index. These instruments provide a rich source of information for trade policy makers, trade negotiators and researchers, and an instrument for impact assessment of trade liberalisation. The STRI further allows individual countries to benchmark their services market regulations against the global best practice, identify outlier restrictions and current bottlenecks.
The regulatory database contains laws and regulations collected from 50 countries: the 38 OECD Member economies, Russia and key partners (Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Peru, Russia, South Africa, Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam), as well as countries having accession discussions with the OECD. Based on the qualitative information in the database, composite indices quantify the identified restrictions across five standard policy categories, with values between zero and one. Complete openness to trade and investment gives a score of zero, while being completely closed to foreign services providers yields a score of one.

50 countries: OECD, Costa Rica, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Peru, Russia, South Africa, Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam

Computer and Related Services, Construction, Architecture and Engineering Services, Legal and Accounting Services, Telecommunication Services, Distribution Services, Audio-visual Services, Financial Services, Transport and Courier Services, Logistics Services