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