Global Trade Logistics Performance Slows Down Amid Recession and Major Events

WASHINGTON, May 16, 2012: Progress in trade logistics performance
slowed down over the last two years amid the global recession, but
countries that pursued aggressive reforms continued to improve their
performance, according to the World Bankís latest survey on trade
logistics.

Singapore is the top performer among the 155 economies included in the
Logistics Performance Indicators (LPI), which are part of the
Connecting to Compete 2012: Trade Logistics in the Global Economy
report. Countries like Chile, China, India, Morocco, South Africa,
Turkey, and the U.S. all improved their previous performance,
according to the study, which is based on a comprehensive world survey
of international freight forwarders and express carriers.

ìTrade logistics is key to economic competitiveness, growth, and
poverty reduction,î said Otaviano Canuto, World Bank Vice President
for Poverty Reduction and Economic Management (PREM). ìUnfortunately,
the logistics gap between rich and poor countries continues and the
convergence trend experienced between 2007 and 2010 has stalled as
events like the global recession, and the European debt crisis shifted
attention away from logistics reform.