Starting a Business

This topic identifies the bureaucratic and legal hurdles an entrepreneur must overcome to incorporate and register a new firm.  It examines the procedures, time, and cost involved in launching a commercial or industrial firm with up to 50 employees and start-up capital of 10 times the economy's per-capita gross national income (GNI).

The table below shows the main indicators. They include:
  • all procedures required to register a firm,
  • average time spent during each procedure,
  • official cost of each procedure, and
  • the minimum capital required as a percentage of income per capita.
To see starting a business details for a specific economy, use the dropdown box on the right or click on the links below.  Click on column headers to sort data.

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Research

The Regulation of Entry (PDF, 131KB), by Djankov and others, Quarterly Journal of Economics, Feb. 2002.

Region or EconomyProcedures (number)Time (days)Cost (% of income per capita)Min. capital (% of income per capita)
OECD5.713.04.715.5
Eastern Europe & Central Asia6.717.48.321.5
South Asia7.328.127.026.9
Middle East & North Africa7.920.734.1129.7
East Asia & Pacific8.141.025.821.3
Sub-Saharan Africa9.445.699.7144.7
Latin America & Caribbean9.561.736.62.9
Canada150.40.0
New Zealand110.40.0
Australia220.80.0
Madagascar277.10.0
Rwanda2310.10.0
Belgium345.319.4
Finland3140.97.2
Georgia333.70.0
Hong Kong, China361.80.0
Kyrgyz Republic3115.20.0
Singapore330.70.0
Slovenia360.043.3
Sweden3150.628.5
Afghanistan4730.20.0
Bulgaria4181.720.7
Burkina Faso41450.3428.2
Denmark460.038.6
Hungary448.010.2
Ireland4130.30.0
Macedonia, FYR442.50.0
Saudi Arabia457.70.0
Senegal4863.7206.9
Sri Lanka4385.90.0
Tonga4258.20.0
Albania5517.00.0
Belarus561.70.0
Dominica51422.60.0
Estonia571.723.2
Ethiopia5918.9492.4
France570.90.0
Iceland553.015.8
Israel5344.20.0
Latvia5162.114.2
Lebanon5978.251.0
Liberia52052.90.0
Maldives5910.04.0
Marshall Islands51716.20.0
Mauritius564.10.0
Norway571.918.7
Oman5122.2273.6
Samoa599.90.0
St. Lucia51421.80.0
Armenia6152.60.0
Azerbaijan6102.90.0
Cyprus6813.30.0
Egypt, Arab Rep.6716.10.0
Grenada62024.60.0
Italy61017.99.7
Jamaica685.30.0
Kiribati62138.020.5
Luxembourg6241.819.9
Morocco61216.111.8
Netherlands6105.649.4
Nicaragua639111.70.0
Panama61210.30.0
Poland63217.915.3
Portugal666.433.5
Qatar667.159.0
Romania6102.90.9
Sierra Leone612118.80.0
Slovak Republic6162.023.8
South Africa6225.90.0
Switzerland6202.026.4
Taiwan, China6233.90.0
Turkey6614.29.5
United Kingdom6130.70.0
United States660.70.0
Yemen, Rep.61283.00.0
Zambia61828.41.3
Bahamas, the7318.50.0
Bahrain790.5195.2
Bangladesh74436.20.0
Benin731155.5290.8
Croatia7228.413.4
Iran, Islamic Rep.793.90.8
Kazakhstan7204.813.4
Lao PDR710012.30.0
Lesotho74027.011.9
Lithuania7262.431.1
Mali71589.2334.6
Micronesia, Fed. Sts.716136.90.0
Mongolia7133.044.0
Nepal73153.60.0
Paraguay73556.70.0
Puerto Rico770.70.0
Serbia7137.16.1
Solomon Islands75752.70.0
St. Vincent and the Grenadines71121.00.0
Syrian Arab Republic71727.81,012.5
Thailand7326.30.0
Togo775205.0514.0
Uzbekistan71511.213.8
Angola868151.129.0
Antigua and Barbuda8219.60.0
Austria8285.152.0
Bhutan8468.00.0
Central African Republic822244.9507.1
Czech Republic8159.230.5
Dominican Republic81917.30.0
El Salvador81738.72.9
Fiji84625.30.0
Gambia, the827215.10.0
Ghana83326.413.4
Guyana83432.80.0
Japan8237.50.0
Jordan81349.519.9
Korea, Rep.81414.70.0
Mexico81311.78.9
Moldova8107.011.4
Nigeria83176.70.0
Palau8284.311.6
Papua New Guinea85620.50.0
St. Kitts and Nevis84511.90.0
United Arab Emirates8156.20.0
Vanuatu83942.00.0
Belize94450.60.0
Cambodia985138.436.6
Cape Verde92417.038.9
Chile9276.90.0
Colombia92012.80.0
Gabon95817.826.5
Germany9184.70.0
Indonesia96026.059.7
Kosovo95243.3169.5
Malaysia91111.90.0
Mauritania91934.7450.4
Niger917118.7613.7
Peru94124.50.0
Russian Federation9302.71.8
Seychelles9387.30.0
Trinidad and Tobago9430.70.0
Botswana10612.10.0
Congo, Rep.103786.596.5
Côte d'Ivoire1040133.3204.9
Malawi1039108.00.0
Mozambique102619.30.0
Namibia106620.40.0
Pakistan10205.80.0
São Tomé and Principe1014481.70.0
Spain104715.012.8
Sudan103636.00.0
Timor-Leste10834.1202.9
Tunisia10115.70.0
Ukraine10275.8153.5
Zimbabwe1096499.50.0
Burundi1132151.60.0
Comoros1124182.1261.8
Djibouti1137195.1500.5
Guatemala112945.423.5
Iraq117775.930.3
Uruguay116540.00.0
Vietnam115013.30.0
West Bank and Gaza114955.0220.4
Bosnia and Herzegovina126015.829.8
Cameroon1234121.1182.9
Costa Rica126020.00.0
Kenya123436.50.0
Montenegro12132.60.0
Tajikistan122524.39.9
Tanzania122936.80.0
Congo, Dem. Rep.13149391.00.0
Ecuador136437.710.6
Eritrea138476.5297.0
Guinea1341139.2489.7
Haiti13195227.922.4
Honduras131447.317.3
India133066.1210.9
Kuwait13351.059.2
Suriname13694112.80.7
Swaziland136133.90.5
Algeria142412.131.0
China14374.9130.9
Argentina152711.02.9
Bolivia155099.22.5
Greece151910.921.4
Philippines155228.25.5
Brazil161206.90.0
Guinea-Bissau16213323.0779.9
Venezuela, R.B.1614124.00.0
Brunei Darussalam181169.80.0
Uganda182584.40.0
Chad1975176.7369.3
Equatorial Guinea20136100.412.4