Kazakhstan outshines other regional powers in index of economic freedom

Kazakhstan has jumped an outstanding 22 points on this index since first being included in 1998, improvement that reflects the country's commitment to strengthening rule of law and streamlining procedures to encourage international investment. This year, Kazakhstan scored a 63.7 in the index and is now ranked 67th in the World Index 2014, ahead of major world powers Russia, France, Italy, India and China, Heritage Foundation reports. The 2014 report detailed Kazakhstan's progress in addition to giving it a numerical ranking. The Economic Freedom Index is an annual index and ranking created by the Heritage Foundation and The Wall Street Journal in 1995 to measure the degree of economic freedom in economies all over the globe, the press service of the Kazakh Embassy to the US said.