The information on this page was current at the time it was published. Regulations, trends, statistics, and other information are constantly changing. While we strive to update our Knowledge Base, we strongly suggest you use these pages as a general guide and be sure to verify any regulations, statistics, guidelines, or other information that are important to your efforts.

Brexit Update:

Since the UK officially left the European Union on January 31, 2020, the relationship between the two has evolved and continues to be shaped by the ongoing implementation of the withdrawal agreement.

Key Dates:

• January 31, 2020: UK officially left the EU and entered a transition period that ended on December 31, 2020.
• December 31, 2020: The transition period ended, and the UK fully exited the EU single market and customs union.
• January 1, 2021: The UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement came into effect, outlining the post-Brexit relationship between the two entities.
• 2023/2024 Current: The UK and EU are still navigating the ongoing implementation and potential revisions of their post-Brexit relationship.

It's crucial for businesses operating in either the UK or the EU to stay informed about the latest developments and adjust their operations accordingly.

Resources for Further Information:

• UK Government website

• European Commission Brexit website

• Institute for Government Brexit analysis

• BBC News Brexit coverage

Global Reports and Rankings 

UK Competitiveness Index: The most recent 2018 edition of the Global Competitiveness Report assesses 140 economies. The report is made up of 98 variables, from a combination of data from international organizations as well as from the World Economic Forum’s Executive Opinion Survey. 
 

World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Report 2020 - This index ranks is a special edition dedicated to "How Countries are Performing on the Road to Recovery". Instead of the usual rankings, the report focuses on the priorities for reviving and transforming economies in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
 

World Bank Group Doing Business Economy Profile - UK - The Doing Business project provides objective measures of business regulations and their enforcement across 190 economies and selected cities at the subnational and regional level. The project, launched in 2002, looks at domestic small and medium-size companies and measures the regulations applying to them through their life cycle. 
 

World Bank Group Worldwide Governance Indicators - This project reports aggregate and individual governance indicators for over 200 countries and territories from 1996–2022. It covers six dimensions of governance, including Voice and Accountability, Political Stability and Absence of Violence/Terrorism, Government Effectiveness, Regulatory Quality, Rule of Law, and Control of Corruption.
 

World Economic Forum Global Information Technology Governance Report- The World Economic Forum Global Technology Governance Report 2020 analyzes the state of technology governance around the world. It identifies key challenges and opportunities presented by emerging technologies, particularly those associated with the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR).
 

World Economic Forum Global Gender Gap Report - The World Economic Forum uses the Global Gender Gap Report to quantify the magnitude of gender disparities and tracks their progress over time. It places a specific focus on the relative gaps between women and men across four key areas: health, education, economy, and politics.
 

Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index - Every year, Transparency International publishes a report on perceived public sector corruption around the world. Transparency International looks at a number of areas where corruption can take place, such as education, and defense and security.
 

World Bank Open Data - UK - Free and open access to global development data - The site is designed to make World Bank data easy to find, download, and use. All of the data found here can be used free of charge with minimal restrictions.
 

OECD.org – Find, compare, and share the latest OECD data for the UK.
 

World Factbook - UK - This US government resource compiles data about each country, including historical background, geography, people and society, government, economy, energy, communications, transportation, military and security, and transnational issues.
 

Google Consumer Barometer - Use the Google Consumer Barometer to learn about how people around the world use the internet - from connectivity levels, to what devices they use to access the internet, to online product research and shopping patterns, to social media platforms, plus much more.