World's Worst Countries for Business

As the U.S. and Europe grapple with slowing growth, more businesses are turning attention to emerging markets for expansion and profits. Foreign direct investment (FDI) into countries such as Brazil, Russia, and Indonesia are at record highs, with Brazil attracting $48.4 billion dollars in 2010, an increase of 87 percent over 2009.

While it's difficult to resist the growth opportunities provided by emerging markets, running a successful business in many of these countries is far from easy.

We put together a list of the 10 most difficult countries to do business in from 50 of the world's largest economies. Our top 10 rankings are based on the World Bank's "Ease of Doing Business" study, which includes 183 countries.

The rankings take into account 10 leading indicators, such as the ease of starting a business, getting construction permits, paying taxes, and investor protection laws, to name a few.

The 2010 FDI data are from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), while the GDP numbers are from the World Bank.

Our list includes some economic superpowers, as well as some minnows. Click ahead to find out which countries are the most difficult to do business in.

Also see

Asia's Fastest Growing Companies

World's Most Polluted Countries

World's 10 Biggest Employers

By Rajeshni Naidu-Ghelani