The landscape of business registration across 48 leading economies reveals significant variations in efficiency and cost. New Zealand maintains its position as the global leader with a streamlined one-procedure system completed in 1-2 days. Estonia and Singapore follow closely, demonstrating the growing importance of digital infrastructure in business registration.
This article is part of our Business Attraction Index Series where we try to figure out the top countries to start and grow your business.
Below is our data for the top economies in terms of the time, procedures, and cost associated with starting a business in 2024/2025.
| Rank | Economy | Time (Days) | Procedures | Cost (€) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Zealand | 1-2 | 1 | 250-450 |
| 2 | Estonia | 3-5 | 3 | 250-600 |
| 3 | Singapore | 2-3 | 3 | 400-800 |
| 4 | Hong Kong SAR | 1-3 | 2 | 350-750 |
| 5 | Denmark | 3-5 | 3 | 720-1500 |
| 6 | Netherlands | 3-5 | 5 | 1500-3000 |
| 7 | Latvia | 2-4 | 2 | 250-600 |
| 8 | United Kingdom | 4-6 | 2 | 500-1200 |
| 9 | Georgia | 2-3 | 2 | 100-300 |
| 10 | Canada | 2-5 | 2 | 400-900 |
| 11 | Lithuania | 3-5 | 3 | 300-600 |
| 12 | Sweden | 3-7 | 3 | 1800-3000 |
| 13 | Australia | 2-4 | 2 | 400-900 |
| 14 | Norway | 3-7 | 4 | 2000-3500 |
| 15 | Finland | 3-7 | 3 | 1500-2800 |
| 16 | Ireland | 4-7 | 3 | 500-1200 |
| 17 | Korea, Rep. | 3-5 | 3 | 350-850 |
| 18 | Rwanda | 4-6 | 2 | 100-300 |
| 19 | North Macedonia | 4-7 | 2 | 150-400 |
| 20 | Iceland | 4-7 | 4 | 1500-2500 |
| 21 | United States | 4-7 | 5 | 800-2000 |
| 22 | Belgium | 4-7 | 6 | 1500-3000 |
| 23 | Slovenia | 6-9 | 6 | 800-1500 |
| 24 | Portugal | 6-9 | 6 | 600-1200 |
| 25 | Taiwan | 4-7 | 5 | 300-700 |
| 26 | UAE | 7-10 | 4 | 3000-6000 |
| 27 | Malaysia | 3-6 | 4 | 200-500 |
| 28 | Mauritius | 3-5 | 3 | 150-400 |
| 29 | Kazakhstan | 9-12 | 3 | 150-400 |
| 30 | Armenia | 7-10 | 4 | 150-400 |
| 31 | Moldova | 7-10 | 4 | 150-400 |
| 32 | Montenegro | 6-9 | 6 | 200-500 |
| 33 | Thailand | 6-9 | 7 | 200-500 |
| 34 | Turkey | 5-8 | 8 | 300-800 |
| 35 | Azerbaijan | 8-11 | 4 | 150-400 |
| 36 | Germany | 8-12 | 9 | 2000-4000 |
| 37 | Austria | 8-12 | 7 | 2000-4500 |
| 38 | Switzerland | 10-14 | 6 | 2500-5000 |
| 39 | Japan | 10-14 | 6 | 1500-3000 |
| 40 | Spain | 12-16 | 8 | 1200-3000 |
| 41 | Czech Republic | 14-18 | 7 | 800-1500 |
| 42 | Slovak Republic | 16-20 | 7 | 800-1500 |
| 43 | Serbia | 8-11 | 7 | 200-500 |
| 44 | China | 18-25 | 9 | 400-1000 |
| 45 | Israel | 20-25 | 5 | 800-1800 |
| 46 | Poland | 20-25 | 9 | 400-900 |
| 47 | Bahrain | 5-8 | 8 | 500-1200 |
| 48 | France | 25-35 | 7 | 2000-4000 |
A few trends based on the above:
- Nordic efficiency comes at a price: While Scandinavian countries offer well-organized processes, costs range from €1,500-3,500
- Digital pioneers: Estonia, Singapore, and the Netherlands leverage full or partial digital government services for faster processing
- Cost disparity: Eastern European nations generally maintain lower fees (€150-600) compared to Western European counterparts (€1,500-5,000)
- Time investment varies: From New Zealand’s 1-2 days to France’s 25-35 days
The last time an overview like this was published was the final World Bank report from 2020. Slightly outdated but still a great resource.
