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
191
Highest
200 days
East Timor
Lowest
6 days
Singapore
Median
30 days
Years covered
9
2011–2019
Data points
1,711

What the numbers show

Enforcing contracts: Filing and service (days) is currently reported for 191 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 41.39 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
27 Kosovo 60 days 2019 unchanged flat
27 Kosovo (UNSCR 1244) 60 days 2019 unchanged flat
46 Philippines 58 days 2019 unchanged flat
46 Syria 58 days 2019 unchanged flat
48 Tunisia 55 days 2019 unchanged flat
49 Romania 52 days 2019 unchanged flat
50 Marshall Islands 51 days 2019 unchanged flat
51 Belarus 50 days 2019 unchanged flat
51 Brunei 50 days 2019 unchanged flat
51 Spain 50 days 2019 unchanged flat
51 Croatia 50 days 2019 up 56.2% rising
51 Vietnam 50 days 2019 unchanged flat
56 Latvia 49 days 2019 unchanged flat
57 Ukraine 48 days 2019 unchanged flat
58 Albania 45 days 2019 up 50.0% rising
58 Cape Verde 45 days 2019 unchanged flat
58 Costa Rica 45 days 2019 unchanged flat
58 India 45 days 2019 up 125.0% rising
58 Iceland 45 days 2019 unchanged flat
58 Lesotho 45 days 2019 unchanged flat
58 Nepal 45 days 2019 unchanged flat
58 Palau 45 days 2019 unchanged flat
58 Solomon Islands 45 days 2019 unchanged flat
58 San Marino 45 days 2019 unchanged flat
68 Turkey 44 days 2019 up 46.7% rising
69 Gambia 43 days 2019 unchanged flat
70 Malawi 42 days 2019 unchanged flat
71 Brazil 41 days 2019 unchanged flat
72 Afghanistan 40 days 2019 unchanged flat
72 Bolivia 40 days 2019 unchanged flat
72 Switzerland 40 days 2019 unchanged flat
72 Eritrea 40 days 2019 unchanged flat
72 Kenya 40 days 2019 unchanged flat
72 Lithuania 40 days 2019 unchanged flat
72 Mauritania 40 days 2019 unchanged flat
72 Norway 40 days 2019 unchanged flat
72 Puerto Rico 40 days 2019 up 33.3% rising
72 Tajikistan 40 days 2019 unchanged flat
82 Ecuador 38 days 2019 unchanged flat
83 Mexico 37.41 days 2019 down 10.9% falling
84 Jordan 37 days 2019 unchanged flat
85 Fiji 36 days 2019 unchanged flat
86 Nigeria 35.63 days 2019 down 15.2% falling
87 Georgia 35 days 2019 unchanged flat
87 Malaysia 35 days 2019 unchanged flat
87 Senegal 35 days 2019 unchanged flat
87 Chad 35 days 2019 unchanged flat
87 Uruguay 35 days 2019 down 53.3% falling
87 Samoa 35 days 2019 unchanged flat
93 China 32.75 days 2019 up 56.0% rising
94 Armenia 30 days 2019 up 50.0% rising
94 Austria 30 days 2019 unchanged flat
94 Benin 30 days 2019 unchanged flat
94 Bangladesh 30 days 2019 unchanged flat
94 Bahrain 30 days 2019 unchanged flat
94 Bosnia and Herzegovina 30 days 2019 unchanged flat
94 Belize 30 days 2019 unchanged flat
94 Botswana 30 days 2019 unchanged flat
94 Central African Republic 30 days 2019 up 100.0% rising
94 Canada 30 days 2019 unchanged flat
94 Cameroon 30 days 2019 unchanged flat
94 Djibouti 30 days 2019 unchanged flat
94 Denmark 30 days 2019 down 50.0% falling
94 Ethiopia 30 days 2019 down 50.0% falling
94 Gabon 30 days 2019 unchanged flat
94 United Kingdom 30 days 2019 unchanged flat
94 Hong Kong 30 days 2019 unchanged flat
94 Haiti 30 days 2019 unchanged flat
94 Iran 30 days 2019 unchanged flat
94 Jamaica 30 days 2019 down 33.3% falling
94 Liberia 30 days 2019 unchanged flat
94 Maldives 30 days 2019 unchanged flat
94 Niger 30 days 2019 unchanged flat
94 Papua New Guinea 30 days 2019 unchanged flat
94 Portugal 30 days 2019 unchanged flat
94 Paraguay 30 days 2019 up 100.0% rising
94 Saudi Arabia 30 days 2019 unchanged flat
94 Sierra Leone 30 days 2019 unchanged flat
94 Somalia 30 days 2019 flat
94 Serbia 30 days 2019 unchanged flat
94 Slovenia 30 days 2019 unchanged flat
94 United States 30 days 2019 unchanged flat
94 Uzbekistan 30 days 2019 unchanged flat
94 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 30 days 2019 unchanged flat
94 Vanuatu 30 days 2019 unchanged flat
94 Yemen 30 days 2019 unchanged flat
94 South Africa 30 days 2019 unchanged flat
94 Taiwan 30 days 2019 unchanged flat
132 Germany 29 days 2019 unchanged flat
133 Grenada 28 days 2019 unchanged flat
133 Saint Kitts and Nevis 28 days 2019 unchanged flat
133 Oman 28 days 2019 unchanged flat
133 South Sudan 28 days 2019 unchanged flat
133 Sweden 28 days 2019 up 33.3% rising
138 Azerbaijan 27 days 2019 unchanged flat
139 Kuwait 26 days 2019 unchanged flat
140 Cote d'Ivoire 25 days 2019 unchanged flat
140 Palestine 25 days 2019 unchanged flat
142 Togo 23 days 2019 unchanged flat
143 Burundi 22 days 2019 unchanged flat
143 France 22 days 2019 unchanged flat
145 United Arab Emirates 21 days 2019 down 43.2% falling
145 Antigua and Barbuda 21 days 2019 unchanged flat
145 Burkina Faso 21 days 2019 unchanged flat
145 Comoros 21 days 2019 unchanged flat
145 Dominica 21 days 2019 unchanged flat
145 Algeria 21 days 2019 unchanged flat
145 Guinea 21 days 2019 unchanged flat
145 Guyana 21 days 2019 unchanged flat
145 Saint Lucia 21 days 2019 up 90.9% rising
145 Luxembourg 21 days 2019 unchanged flat
145 Madagascar 21 days 2019 unchanged flat
145 Zambia 21 days 2019 unchanged flat
157 Bahamas 20 days 2019 unchanged flat
157 Barbados 20 days 2019 unchanged flat
157 Bhutan 20 days 2019 unchanged flat
157 Democratic Republic of Congo 20 days 2019 unchanged flat
157 Cyprus 20 days 2019 up 100.0% rising
157 Dominican Republic 20 days 2019 unchanged flat
157 Egypt 20 days 2019 unchanged flat
157 Equatorial Guinea 20 days 2019 down 28.6% falling
157 Japan 20 days 2019 unchanged flat
157 Kyrgyzstan 20 days 2019 unchanged flat
157 Kiribati 20 days 2019 unchanged flat
157 South Korea 20 days 2019 unchanged flat
157 Morocco 20 days 2019 unchanged flat
157 Rwanda 20 days 2019 unchanged flat
157 Uganda 20 days 2019 unchanged flat
172 Congo 18 days 2019 unchanged flat
173 Belgium 15 days 2019 unchanged flat
173 Ghana 15 days 2019 up 114.3% rising
173 Israel 15 days 2019 unchanged flat
173 Kazakhstan 15 days 2019 unchanged flat
173 Lebanon 15 days 2019 unchanged flat
173 Mali 15 days 2019 unchanged flat
173 Malta 15 days 2019 unchanged flat
173 Mauritius 15 days 2019 down 40.0% falling
181 Australia 14 days 2019 up 100.0% rising
181 Finland 14 days 2019 unchanged flat
181 Mongolia 14 days 2019 unchanged flat
181 Eswatini 14 days 2019 down 53.3% falling
181 Zimbabwe 14 days 2019 unchanged flat
186 Italy 10 days 2019 down 75.0% volatile
186 Namibia 10 days 2019 unchanged flat
186 Netherlands 10 days 2019 unchanged flat
189 New Zealand 7 days 2019 unchanged flat
189 Tonga 7 days 2019 unchanged flat
191 Singapore 6 days 2019 unchanged flat

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Enforcing contracts: Filing and service by country. Statizoid. Retrieved 24 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/enforcing-contracts-filing-and-service-days/

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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
191 places, 1,711 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.