Under the regulations category, Brunei scored 8.8 and stood in fourth globally in labour market regulation and eighth place in business regulation .
Compared to 2019, the Sultanate fared high in legal system and property rights, sound money, but maintained its score in size of government and in regulation. The pandemic had an effect, with 146 countries and territories experiencing a decline in economic freedom after governments worldwide imposed Covid restrictions in 2020 .
“Hong Kong remains the most economically-free jurisdiction in the world, but this ranking is based on 2020 data,” McMahon said.