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About IBR

Methodology

The Grant Thornton International Business Report (IBR) is the world's leading mid-market business survey. Launched in 1992 in nine European countries, the report now surveys more than 10,000 senior executives in 36 economies on an annual basis, providing insight into the economic and commercial issues affecting both listed and privately-held businesses.

Data collection

Data collection is managed by Millward Brown. Questionnaires are translated into local language with each participating country having the option to ask a small number of country specific questions in addition to the core questionnaire. Fieldwork is undertaken on a quarterly basis, primarily by telephone. 

Sample

IBR is a survey of mid-market listed and privately held businesses. The definition of the mid-market varies by country; for example a mid-market business in the EU would typically have 50-499 employees; in the United States we interview businesses with annual revenues of USD20m to USD2bn; in China, those with 100-1000 employees. The target respondents are chief executive officers, managing directors, chairmen or other senior decision-makers.

Participating economies

Region/group Economies included in IBR
Africa Botswana, Nigeria, South Africa
Asia-Pacific (APAC) Australia, India, Japan, China (mainland), Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand
BRIC Brazil, Russia, India, China (mainland)
Developed APAC Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore
Eastern Europe Armenia, Estonia, Georgia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Turkey
Emerging APAC China (mainland), India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand
European Union (EU) Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom
G7 Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom, United States
Latin America Argentina, Brazil, Mexico
MINT   Mexico, Indonesia, Nigeria, Turkey
North America Canada, United States
Southern Europe Greece, Italy, Spain

IBR results dating back to 1992 can be found on our data visualisation tool