In preparation for the "World Development Report 1997" we conducted a worldwide private sector survey which included a part on government-related obstacles to doing business. Entrepreneurs were asked to rate a list of 15 obstacles for their seriousness. This paper presents the results of almost 4000 entrepreneurs' responses in 69 countries using a detailed regional breakup into 22 regions. Four of these regions encompass OECD countries, six regions transition countries and the remaining twelve developing countries. The paper presents the results while respecting confidentiality, in that no individual country ratings are shown. Country groups are based mostly on geographical proximity. Such groupings are somewhat arbitrary, yet many clear and relevant patterns emerge, which may be of interest to governments, businesspeople, and agencies involved in policy dialogue.