Emerging markets have significantly improved their levels of real estate transparency according to the latest Global Real Estate Transparency Index from Jones Lang LaSalle, The 2008 survey reveals that eight countries moved up a full transparency tier since the last index in 2006. Dubai, Romania, Ukraine and Russia showed the biggest improvements over the last two years. The Index, which provides a rigorous framework for comparing the level of real estate transparency in 82 world markets, shows that nearly half of the countries surveyed in 2006 demonstrated a significant improvement in their transparency score two years later. Transparency levels globally are improving as governments seek to streamline regulatory and legal hurdles to aid cross-border movement of capital and corporate facilities. Only Venezuela posted a lower transparency score this year compared with 2006, principally due to changes in government regulations and new taxation policies targeting foreign investors. Canada now ranks as the world’s most transparent real estate market, up from the 4th position in 2006. The U.S. and Australia are tied for second place on the list. The lower end of the scale includes Oman, Qatar, Morocco, Kuwait, Pakistan and Kazakhstan.