Belgium vs United Kingdom: Time required to start a business

Belgium
5 days
in 2019
United Kingdom
4.5 days
in 2019
Belgium rank
160th
United Kingdom rank
163rd

Time required to start a business over time

  • Belgium
  • United Kingdom
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How they compare

Belgium currently reports 5 days against 4.5 days in United Kingdom, a difference of 0.5 days.

That makes Belgium's figure about 1.1 times United Kingdom's.

The two have swapped places 2 times across 17 shared years of data; in 2003 it was Belgium ahead.

Belgium ranks 160th and United Kingdom ranks 163rd of 188 countries.

Across the 2 decades both report, Belgium averaged higher in 1 and United Kingdom in 1.

Head to head by decade

Decade Belgium United Kingdom Difference Ahead
2000s 23.5 days 11.64 days 11.86 days Belgium
2010s 4.55 days 7.45 days 2.9 days United Kingdom

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher time required to start a business, Belgium or United Kingdom?
Belgium, at 5 days against 4.5 days in United Kingdom as of 2019.
What is the difference in time required to start a business between Belgium and United Kingdom?
0.5 days, with Belgium ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Belgium and United Kingdom?
17 years are reported by both, from 2003 to 2019.
How do Belgium and United Kingdom rank globally for time required to start a business?
Belgium ranks 160th and United Kingdom ranks 163rd of 188 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Doing Business project, World Bank (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Time required to start a business. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator
Time required to start a business
Unit
days
Source
Doing Business project, World Bank (2025) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
188 places, 2,945 data points, 2003–2019
Last refreshed

Number of calendar days needed to complete the procedures to legally operate a business.