RIYADH: The Kingdom has been ranked first in the Middle East and Arab World, and number 14 in the world, for issuing of construction licenses for small and medium scale projects in 2011. In 2010 it ranked number 30 internationally. Prince Mansour Bin Mite'b Bin Abdul Aziz, Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs, said this is conclusive evidence of the great progress achieved by the Kingdom in all walks of life. The Rating Index applies three criteria in assessing the flexibility of construction licenses for small scale commercial buildings: The procedures, time and cost involved in issuing the licenses.