For countries in this section we provide a modified, briefer profile, which does not include a detailed assessment of standards compliance because of the country's low level of development, the small size of the country's economy, or the limited availability of information on the country's conditions. Over time it is hoped that it will be possible to upgrade many countries on the modified brief profile list to the full profile presentation.

The country brief format is designed to provide an overview of countries' key political, economic, financial, and business issues. These reports also emphasize the basic issues of physical and social infrastructure, human needs, significance of the informal economy, agricultural productivity, small/medium-sized enterprise dynamics, and community development.

The profiles rely on authoritative, accessible public information, which often, though not always, is scarcer for this group of countries. We believe that improved transparent disclosure on a country's conditions enhances the prospects for sustained development and hope that our profiles will encourage country progress in this regard. The modified profiles provide a current snap-shot view of important positive and negative aspects of a country"s condition.