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Privatisation in OECD countries reached an all-time high in the 1990s and remained high in the first years of the 21st century. State assets worth close to USD 500 billion were sold in the 8 years from 2000 to 2007. At the same time, the landscape for privatisation has evolved considerably. In most countries, block sales of individual enterprises already in competitive sectors are a thing of the past. Continued privatisation has taken place in more complex sectors such as the network industries, where companies are too large and too heavily regulated to be swiftly transferred. Gradual, or in many cases partial, privatisation via stock markets is now the most prevalent.

Privatisation in the 21st Century (PDF), published by the OECD in 2009, is a comprehensive best practice report which analyses these trends.

The main findings of this report were subsequently synthesised in a summary of recent experiences (PDF) which draws operational and policy conclusions from the best practices.