The Logistics Performance Index is an interactive benchmarking tool created by the World Bank to help countries identify the challenges and opportunities they face in their performance on trade logistics and what they can do to improve their performance. It is the weighted average of the country scores on six key dimensions: efficiency of the clearance process by border control agencies, including Customs; quality of trade and transport related infrastructure ; ease of arranging competitively priced shipments; competence and quality of logistics services ; ability to track and trace consignments; timeliness of shipments in reaching destination within the scheduled or expected delivery time. This measure indicates the relative ease and efficiency with which products can be moved into and inside a country. Germany and Singapore are the most efficient and highest ranked LPI countries. The Logistics Performance Index is reported by the World Bank in every two years. The LPI is based on a worldwide survey of stakeholders on the ground providing feedback on the logistics "friendliness" of the countries in which they operate and those with which they trade. They combine in-depth knowledge of the countries in which they operate with informed qualitative assessments of other countries where they trade and have experience of global logistics environment.
Understanding what comprises the Index
The logistics performance is the weighted average of the country scores on the six key dimensions:
The efficiency of the clearance process by border control agencies, including customs.
Quality of trade and transport-related infrastructure ;
Ease of arranging competitively priced shipments;
Competence and quality of logistics services ;
Ability to track and trace consignments;
Timeliness of shipments in reaching the destination within the scheduled or expected delivery time.
2018 Logistics Performance Index
World Bank has recentlycome out with the Logistics Performance Index 2018. Germany again leads the table as #1 with an LPI score of 4.20. Followed by Sweden, Belgium, Austria and Japan in that order of top5 Nations. The LPI scores of high-income countries are 48% higher than in lower-income countries. Logistics is a $4.3 trillion industry globally. It is the backbone of trade, and good logistics can reduce trade cost and make countries compete globally. Getting logistics right means improving infrastructure, skills, customs and regulations, policies and governance at the right proportion. India's rank fell from 35 in 2016 to 44 in the 2018 ranking.
2016 Logistics Performance Index
In the 2016 LPI, the top position is held by Germany. Civil war-inflicted Syria holds the last position. India’s ranking jumped from 54 in 2014 to 35 in 2016 whereas its score also improved from 3.08 in 2014 to 3.42 in 2016.
