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