Statizoid

Enforcing contracts: Filing and service (days) by country

The time for filing and service captures the time from the moment plaintiff decides to sue until defendant is served.

Countries reporting
188
Highest
200 days
East Timor
Lowest
6 days
Singapore
Median
30 days
Years covered
9
2011–2019
Data points
1,702

What the numbers show

Enforcing contracts: Filing and service (days) is currently reported for 188 countries. The highest value is 200 days in East Timor; the lowest is 6 days in Singapore.

The median across all reporting countries is 30 days, and the mean is 41.26 days.

The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 33.

Over the past decade 21 countries rose and 21 fell. The largest increase was in Panama (up 185.7%), and the largest decrease in Italy (down 75.0%).

Enforcing contracts: Filing and service: full country ranking

#Country LatestYear 10-year changeTrend
1 East Timor 200 days 2019 up 42.9% rising
2 Suriname 165 days 2019 unchanged flat
3 Venezuela 150 days 2019 up 57.9% rising
4 Micronesia (country) 120 days 2019 unchanged flat
5 Laos 119 days 2019 unchanged flat
6 Bulgaria 105 days 2019 unchanged flat
7 Argentina 90 days 2019 down 40.0% falling
7 Guinea-Bissau 90 days 2019 unchanged flat
7 Mozambique 90 days 2019 unchanged flat
7 Sudan 90 days 2019 unchanged flat
7 Sao Tome and Principe 90 days 2019 unchanged flat
12 Czechia 88 days 2019 unchanged flat
13 Angola 86 days 2019 unchanged flat
14 Trinidad and Tobago 85 days 2019 unchanged flat
15 Pakistan 83.4 days 2019 down 13.1% falling
16 Peru 80 days 2019 down 2.4% flat
17 Seychelles 75 days 2019 unchanged flat
18 North Macedonia 70 days 2019 up 75.0% rising
18 El Salvador 70 days 2019 unchanged flat
18 Slovakia 70 days 2019 down 22.2% falling
21 Chile 69 days 2019 down 2.8% flat
22 Colombia 68 days 2019 unchanged flat
23 Guatemala 66 days 2019 unchanged flat
24 Myanmar 65 days 2019 unchanged flat
25 Cambodia 63 days 2019 unchanged flat
26 Sri Lanka 62 days 2019 unchanged flat
27 Estonia 60 days 2019 up 100.0% rising
27 Greece 60 days 2019 unchanged flat
27 Honduras 60 days 2019 unchanged flat
27 Hungary 60 days 2019 unchanged flat
27 Indonesia 60 days 2019 down 64.7% falling
27 Ireland 60 days 2019 unchanged flat
27 Iraq 60 days 2019 unchanged flat
27 Libya 60 days 2019 unchanged flat
27 Moldova 60 days 2019 up 42.9% rising
27 Montenegro 60 days 2019 unchanged flat
27 Nicaragua 60 days 2019 down 32.6% falling
27 Panama 60 days 2019 up 185.7% rising
27 Poland 60 days 2019 down 33.3% falling
27 Qatar 60 days 2019 unchanged flat
27 Russia 60 days 2019 up 46.3% rising
27 Thailand 60 days 2019 down 39.4% falling
27 Tanzania 60 days 2019 down 16.7% falling
44 Philippines 58 days 2019 unchanged flat
44 Syria 58 days 2019 unchanged flat
46 Tunisia 55 days 2019 unchanged flat
47 Romania 52 days 2019 unchanged flat
48 Marshall Islands 51 days 2019 unchanged flat
49 Belarus 50 days 2019 unchanged flat
49 Brunei 50 days 2019 unchanged flat
49 Spain 50 days 2019 unchanged flat
49 Croatia 50 days 2019 up 56.2% rising
49 Vietnam 50 days 2019 unchanged flat
54 Latvia 49 days 2019 unchanged flat
55 Ukraine 48 days 2019 unchanged flat
56 Albania 45 days 2019 up 50.0% rising
56 Cape Verde 45 days 2019 unchanged flat
56 Costa Rica 45 days 2019 unchanged flat
56 India 45 days 2019 up 125.0% rising
56 Iceland 45 days 2019 unchanged flat
56 Lesotho 45 days 2019 unchanged flat
56 Nepal 45 days 2019 unchanged flat
56 Palau 45 days 2019 unchanged flat
56 Solomon Islands 45 days 2019 unchanged flat
56 San Marino 45 days 2019 unchanged flat
66 Turkey 44 days 2019 up 46.7% rising
67 Gambia 43 days 2019 unchanged flat
68 Malawi 42 days 2019 unchanged flat
69 Brazil 41 days 2019 unchanged flat
70 Afghanistan 40 days 2019 unchanged flat
70 Bolivia 40 days 2019 unchanged flat
70 Switzerland 40 days 2019 unchanged flat
70 Eritrea 40 days 2019 unchanged flat
70 Kenya 40 days 2019 unchanged flat
70 Lithuania 40 days 2019 unchanged flat
70 Mauritania 40 days 2019 unchanged flat
70 Norway 40 days 2019 unchanged flat
70 Puerto Rico 40 days 2019 up 33.3% rising
70 Tajikistan 40 days 2019 unchanged flat
80 Ecuador 38 days 2019 unchanged flat
81 Mexico 37.41 days 2019 down 10.9% falling
82 Jordan 37 days 2019 unchanged flat
83 Fiji 36 days 2019 unchanged flat
84 Nigeria 35.63 days 2019 down 15.2% falling
85 Georgia 35 days 2019 unchanged flat
85 Malaysia 35 days 2019 unchanged flat
85 Senegal 35 days 2019 unchanged flat
85 Chad 35 days 2019 unchanged flat
85 Uruguay 35 days 2019 down 53.3% falling
85 Samoa 35 days 2019 unchanged flat
91 China 32.75 days 2019 up 56.0% rising
92 Armenia 30 days 2019 up 50.0% rising
92 Austria 30 days 2019 unchanged flat
92 Benin 30 days 2019 unchanged flat
92 Bangladesh 30 days 2019 unchanged flat
92 Bahrain 30 days 2019 unchanged flat
92 Bosnia and Herzegovina 30 days 2019 unchanged flat
92 Belize 30 days 2019 unchanged flat
92 Botswana 30 days 2019 unchanged flat
92 Central African Republic 30 days 2019 up 100.0% rising
92 Canada 30 days 2019 unchanged flat
92 Cameroon 30 days 2019 unchanged flat
92 Denmark 30 days 2019 down 50.0% falling
92 Ethiopia 30 days 2019 down 50.0% falling
92 Gabon 30 days 2019 unchanged flat
92 United Kingdom 30 days 2019 unchanged flat
92 Hong Kong 30 days 2019 unchanged flat
92 Haiti 30 days 2019 unchanged flat
92 Iran 30 days 2019 unchanged flat
92 Jamaica 30 days 2019 down 33.3% falling
92 Liberia 30 days 2019 unchanged flat
92 Maldives 30 days 2019 unchanged flat
92 Niger 30 days 2019 unchanged flat
92 Papua New Guinea 30 days 2019 unchanged flat
92 Portugal 30 days 2019 unchanged flat
92 Paraguay 30 days 2019 up 100.0% rising
92 Saudi Arabia 30 days 2019 unchanged flat
92 Sierra Leone 30 days 2019 unchanged flat
92 Somalia 30 days 2019 — flat
92 Serbia 30 days 2019 unchanged flat
92 Slovenia 30 days 2019 unchanged flat
92 United States 30 days 2019 unchanged flat
92 Uzbekistan 30 days 2019 unchanged flat
92 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 30 days 2019 unchanged flat
92 Vanuatu 30 days 2019 unchanged flat
92 Yemen 30 days 2019 unchanged flat
92 South Africa 30 days 2019 unchanged flat
92 Taiwan 30 days 2019 unchanged flat
129 Germany 29 days 2019 unchanged flat
130 Grenada 28 days 2019 unchanged flat
130 Saint Kitts and Nevis 28 days 2019 unchanged flat
130 Oman 28 days 2019 unchanged flat
130 South Sudan 28 days 2019 unchanged flat
130 Sweden 28 days 2019 up 33.3% rising
135 Azerbaijan 27 days 2019 unchanged flat
136 Kuwait 26 days 2019 unchanged flat
137 Cote d'Ivoire 25 days 2019 unchanged flat
137 Palestine 25 days 2019 unchanged flat
139 Togo 23 days 2019 unchanged flat
140 Burundi 22 days 2019 unchanged flat
140 France 22 days 2019 unchanged flat
142 United Arab Emirates 21 days 2019 down 43.2% falling
142 Antigua and Barbuda 21 days 2019 unchanged flat
142 Burkina Faso 21 days 2019 unchanged flat
142 Comoros 21 days 2019 unchanged flat
142 Dominica 21 days 2019 unchanged flat
142 Algeria 21 days 2019 unchanged flat
142 Guinea 21 days 2019 unchanged flat
142 Guyana 21 days 2019 unchanged flat
142 Saint Lucia 21 days 2019 up 90.9% rising
142 Luxembourg 21 days 2019 unchanged flat
142 Madagascar 21 days 2019 unchanged flat
142 Zambia 21 days 2019 unchanged flat
154 Bahamas 20 days 2019 unchanged flat
154 Barbados 20 days 2019 unchanged flat
154 Bhutan 20 days 2019 unchanged flat
154 Democratic Republic of Congo 20 days 2019 unchanged flat
154 Cyprus 20 days 2019 up 100.0% rising
154 Dominican Republic 20 days 2019 unchanged flat
154 Egypt 20 days 2019 unchanged flat
154 Equatorial Guinea 20 days 2019 down 28.6% falling
154 Japan 20 days 2019 unchanged flat
154 Kyrgyzstan 20 days 2019 unchanged flat
154 Kiribati 20 days 2019 unchanged flat
154 South Korea 20 days 2019 unchanged flat
154 Morocco 20 days 2019 unchanged flat
154 Rwanda 20 days 2019 unchanged flat
154 Uganda 20 days 2019 unchanged flat
169 Congo 18 days 2019 unchanged flat
170 Belgium 15 days 2019 unchanged flat
170 Ghana 15 days 2019 up 114.3% rising
170 Israel 15 days 2019 unchanged flat
170 Kazakhstan 15 days 2019 unchanged flat
170 Lebanon 15 days 2019 unchanged flat
170 Mali 15 days 2019 unchanged flat
170 Malta 15 days 2019 unchanged flat
170 Mauritius 15 days 2019 down 40.0% falling
178 Australia 14 days 2019 up 100.0% rising
178 Finland 14 days 2019 unchanged flat
178 Mongolia 14 days 2019 unchanged flat
178 Eswatini 14 days 2019 down 53.3% falling
178 Zimbabwe 14 days 2019 unchanged flat
183 Italy 10 days 2019 down 75.0% volatile
183 Namibia 10 days 2019 unchanged flat
183 Netherlands 10 days 2019 unchanged flat
186 New Zealand 7 days 2019 unchanged flat
186 Tonga 7 days 2019 unchanged flat
188 Singapore 6 days 2019 unchanged flat

Regions and income groups

Aggregates are excluded from the country ranking above so that a region can never outrank a country.

About this data

Indicator
Enforcing contracts: Filing and service (days)
Unit
days
Source
World Bank
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
190 places, 1,702 data points, 2011–2019
Last refreshed

The time for filing and service captures the time from the moment plaintiff decides to sue until defendant is served.