Statizoid

Enforcing contracts: Cost in United States

United States: Enforcing contracts: Cost was 30.5% in 2019. β–² Rising

Latest (2019)
30.5%
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
77th
of 190 countries
All-time high
30.5%
in 2013
All-time low
14.4%
in 2003
Years of data
17
2003–2019

Enforcing contracts: Cost in United States, 2003–2019

01020302003201120192003: 14.4 % of claim2004: 14.4 % of claim2005: 14.4 % of claim2006: 14.4 % of claim2007: 18.4 % of claim2008: 18.4 % of claim2009: 18.4 % of claim2010: 18.4 % of claim2011: 18.4 % of claim2012: 18.4 % of claim2013: 30.5 % of claim2014: 30.5 % of claim2015: 30.5 % of claim2016: 30.5 % of claim2017: 30.5 % of claim2018: 30.5 % of claim2019: 30.5 % of claim

Source: World Bank. Measured in % of claim.

Analysis

The most recent figure for enforcing contracts: cost in United States is 30.5%, measured in 2019. That is the highest value across all 17 years on record.

That represents a change of up 65.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, enforcing contracts: cost in United States peaked at 30.5% in 2013 and was at its lowest, 14.4%, in 2003.

That places United States 77th out of 190 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 17 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 16.1% 14.4% 18.4% 7
2010s 26.9% 18.4% 30.5% 10

Countries ranked near United States

  1. 74 India 31.0% compare
  2. 74 Philippines 31.0% compare
  3. 76 Lebanon 30.8% compare
  4. 77 Tonga 30.5% compare
  5. 79 Sweden 30.4% compare
  6. 80 St. Vincent and the Grenadines 30.3% compare

See the full ranking of 190 places β†’

More reference data data for United States

All data for United States β†’

Frequently asked questions

What is enforcing contracts: cost in United States?
Enforcing contracts: cost in United States was 30.5% in 2019, according to the World Bank.
What is the highest enforcing contracts: cost recorded in United States?
The highest recorded value was 30.5% in 2013.
What is the lowest enforcing contracts: cost recorded in United States?
The lowest recorded value was 14.4% in 2003.
How does United States rank for enforcing contracts: cost?
United States ranks 77th out of 190 countries with data for 2019.
Is enforcing contracts: cost rising or falling in United States?
Over the last ten years it is up 65.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this United States data come from?
The figures come from the World Bank, published as part of Enforcing contracts: Cost (% of claim). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Enforcing contracts: Cost in United States. Statizoid. Retrieved 18 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/enforcing-contracts-cost-percent-of-claim-2/united-states/

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About this data

Indicator
Enforcing contracts: Cost (% of claim)
Unit
% of claim
Source
World Bank
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
190 places, 3,083 data points, 2003–2019
Last refreshed

The cost to enforce contracts is recorded as a percentage of the claim value, assumed to be equivalent to 200% of income per capita or $5,000, whichever is greater. Three types of costs are recorded: average attorney fees, court costs and enforcement costs. Bribes are not taken into account.