SINGAPORE, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- Singapore topped the list of ASEAN countries on 2016 Logistics Performance Index (LPI), ranking the 5th globally, according to the latest edition of Logistics Performance Index released by the World Bank on Thursday.
As part of a biannual report, the newly-released LPI showed that progress in logistics performance has slowed for the first time since 2007 for least developed countries, while ASEAN economies displayed a mixed trend. Some ASEAN countries backslided in their overall logistics performance and others performed above the regional average.
Top performing countries have remained relatively consistent since 2010, and include dominant players in the supply chain industry, according to the index. Germany ranked top for the second time in a row, followed by Luxembourg, Sweden, the Netherlands and Singapore.
The index showed that Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia outperformed the East Asia and Pacific regional average; while Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines ranked among the top 10 in lower middle-income countries. However, all ASEAN countries, except Singapore, Myanmar and Cambodia, backslid in their 2016 rankings compared to two years ago.
On timeliness, the frequency with which shipments reach their destination within the scheduled or expected time, a key criteria impacting a country's LPI performance, ASEAN countries scored higher than the overall average.
Infrastructure continues to play a big role in assuring basic connectivity and access to gateways for most developing countries, according to the report.
In all income groups, respondents reported that infrastructure was improving. However, in all ASEAN countries except Singapore and Malaysia, the scores for infrastructure were lower than the overall scores.
Based on survey date from more than 1,200 logistics professionals, the report captures critical information about the complexity of international trade. The index scores countries on key criteria of logistics performance, including infrastructure, quality of service, shipment reliability, timeliness and border clearance efficiency.
