Statizoid

Enforcing contracts: Time (days) by country

The time to enforce contracts is recorded in calendar days, counted from the moment plaintiff decides to file the lawsuit in court until payment. The average duration of the following three different stages of dispute resolution is recorded: (i) filing and service, (ii) trial and judgment, and (iii) enforcement.

Countries reporting
188
Highest
1,785 days
Guinea-Bissau
Lowest
164 days
Singapore
Median
575 days
Years covered
17
2003–2019
Data points
3,083

What the numbers show

Enforcing contracts: Time (days) is currently reported for 188 countries. The highest value is 1,785 days in Guinea-Bissau; the lowest is 164 days in Singapore.

The median across all reporting countries is 575 days, and the mean is 651.22 days.

The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 11.

Over the past decade 58 countries rose and 41 fell. The largest increase was in Armenia (up 100.0%), and the largest decrease in Senegal (down 32.6%).

Enforcing contracts: Time: full country ranking

#Country LatestYear 10-year changeTrend
1 Guinea-Bissau 1,785 days 2019 unchanged flat
2 Suriname 1,715 days 2019 unchanged flat
3 Greece 1,711 days 2019 up 78.2% rising
4 Afghanistan 1,642 days 2019 unchanged flat
5 India 1,445 days 2019 up 1.8% flat
6 Bangladesh 1,442 days 2019 unchanged flat
7 Guatemala 1,402 days 2019 down 3.9% falling
8 Barbados 1,340 days 2019 unchanged flat
8 Trinidad and Tobago 1,340 days 2019 unchanged flat
10 Sri Lanka 1,318 days 2019 unchanged flat
11 Liberia 1,300 days 2019 unchanged flat
12 Angola 1,296 days 2019 up 3.7% rising
13 Colombia 1,288 days 2019 down 4.3% falling
14 East Timor 1,285 days 2019 down 10.5% falling
15 Sao Tome and Principe 1,185 days 2019 unchanged falling
16 Gabon 1,160 days 2019 up 8.4% rising
16 Myanmar 1,160 days 2019 unchanged flat
16 Slovenia 1,160 days 2019 down 10.1% falling
19 Italy 1,120 days 2019 down 7.4% falling
20 Cyprus 1,100 days 2019 up 49.7% rising
21 Pakistan 1,071 days 2019 up 9.7% rising
22 Egypt 1,010 days 2019 unchanged flat
23 Argentina 995 days 2019 up 68.6% rising
24 Israel 975 days 2019 up 9.6% rising
25 Philippines 962 days 2019 unchanged falling
26 Eswatini 956 days 2019 down 1.6% flat
27 Mozambique 950 days 2019 unchanged falling
28 Honduras 920 days 2019 up 2.2% flat
29 Seychelles 915 days 2019 up 27.1% rising
30 Canada 910 days 2019 up 59.6% rising
30 Nepal 910 days 2019 down 11.2% falling
32 Belize 892 days 2019 unchanged flat
33 Micronesia (country) 885 days 2019 unchanged flat
34 Syria 872 days 2019 unchanged flat
35 Costa Rica 852 days 2019 unchanged flat
36 Burundi 832 days 2019 unchanged rising
37 Laos 828 days 2019 unchanged flat
38 El Salvador 816 days 2019 unchanged flat
39 Madagascar 811 days 2019 down 6.9% flat
40 Palau 810 days 2019 unchanged flat
40 Sudan 810 days 2019 unchanged flat
42 Brazil 801.2 days 2019 up 9.6% rising
43 Cameroon 800 days 2019 unchanged flat
44 Panama 790 days 2019 up 15.2% rising
45 Slovakia 775 days 2019 up 37.2% rising
46 Maldives 760 days 2019 up 14.3% rising
47 Gambia 758 days 2019 down 3.4% flat
48 Portugal 755 days 2019 down 13.2% falling
49 Chad 743 days 2019 unchanged flat
50 Dominica 741 days 2019 up 8.8% rising
51 Uruguay 725 days 2019 up 0.7% flat
52 Lebanon 721 days 2019 unchanged flat
53 Venezuela 720 days 2019 up 41.2% rising
54 Ghana 710 days 2019 up 45.8% rising
55 Libya 690 days 2019 unchanged flat
56 Grenada 688 days 2019 unchanged falling
57 Poland 685 days 2019 down 17.5% falling
58 Czechia 678 days 2019 unchanged falling
59 Botswana 660 days 2019 down 8.6% falling
59 Central African Republic 660 days 2019 unchanged flat
59 Kiribati 660 days 2019 unchanged flat
62 Croatia 650 days 2019 up 15.9% rising
62 Ireland 650 days 2019 up 26.2% rising
62 Senegal 650 days 2019 down 32.6% falling
65 Saint Lucia 645 days 2019 up 1.6% flat
65 Yemen 645 days 2019 up 24.0% rising
67 Jordan 642 days 2019 down 6.8% falling
68 Bahrain 635 days 2019 unchanged flat
69 North Macedonia 634 days 2019 down 4.9% rising
70 Algeria 630 days 2019 unchanged flat
70 Puerto Rico 630 days 2019 up 1.6% flat
72 Turkey 623 days 2019 up 38.8% rising
73 Serbia 622 days 2019 down 2.0% falling
74 Mali 620 days 2019 down 1.0% falling
75 Marshall Islands 616 days 2019 unchanged flat
76 Lesotho 615 days 2019 down 29.7% falling
77 Zambia 611 days 2019 unchanged rising
78 Democratic Republic of Congo 610 days 2019 unchanged falling
79 Paraguay 606 days 2019 up 2.5% flat
80 Hungary 605 days 2019 unchanged rising
81 South Africa 600 days 2019 unchanged flat
82 Switzerland 598 days 2019 up 11.8% rising
82 Oman 598 days 2019 unchanged flat
84 Benin 595 days 2019 down 27.9% falling
84 Bosnia and Herzegovina 595 days 2019 unchanged falling
84 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 595 days 2019 up 51.0% rising
87 Bolivia 591 days 2019 unchanged flat
87 Papua New Guinea 591 days 2019 unchanged flat
89 Dominican Republic 590 days 2019 up 28.3% rising
90 Moldova 585 days 2019 up 60.3% rising
91 Guyana 581 days 2019 unchanged flat
92 Saint Kitts and Nevis 578 days 2019 unchanged flat
93 Saudi Arabia 575 days 2019 down 9.4% falling
93 San Marino 575 days 2019 unchanged flat
93 Somalia 575 days 2019 — flat
96 Armenia 570 days 2019 up 100.0% rising
96 Qatar 570 days 2019 unchanged flat
98 Kuwait 566 days 2019 unchanged flat
99 Tunisia 565 days 2019 unchanged flat
100 Bulgaria 564 days 2019 unchanged flat
101 Congo 560 days 2019 unchanged flat
102 Jamaica 550 days 2019 down 16.0% falling
103 Bahamas 545 days 2019 up 23.9% rising
103 Montenegro 545 days 2019 unchanged flat
105 Brunei 540 days 2019 unchanged flat
105 Palestine 540 days 2019 down 10.0% falling
107 Ethiopia 530 days 2019 unchanged falling
107 Haiti 530 days 2019 unchanged flat
109 Albania 525 days 2019 up 16.7% rising
109 Cote d'Ivoire 525 days 2019 down 31.8% falling
111 Ecuador 523 days 2019 down 11.1% falling
112 Malawi 522 days 2019 up 20.8% rising
113 Iraq 520 days 2019 unchanged flat
114 Chile 519 days 2019 down 0.4% flat
115 Sierra Leone 515 days 2019 unchanged flat
115 Tanzania 515 days 2019 unchanged flat
117 Netherlands 514 days 2019 unchanged flat
118 Romania 512 days 2019 unchanged falling
119 Spain 510 days 2019 down 1.0% flat
119 Morocco 510 days 2019 unchanged flat
119 Taiwan 510 days 2019 unchanged flat
122 Comoros 506 days 2019 unchanged flat
123 Belgium 505 days 2019 unchanged flat
123 Iran 505 days 2019 down 2.9% flat
123 Malta 505 days 2019 unchanged flat
126 Germany 499 days 2019 up 26.6% rising
127 Solomon Islands 497 days 2019 unchanged flat
128 China 496.25 days 2019 up 17.9% rising
129 Eritrea 490 days 2019 up 21.0% rising
129 Mauritius 490 days 2019 down 31.9% falling
129 Nicaragua 490 days 2019 down 9.3% falling
129 Uganda 490 days 2019 down 3.9% falling
133 Togo 488 days 2019 down 17.0% falling
134 Denmark 485 days 2019 up 27.6% rising
134 Finland 485 days 2019 up 29.3% rising
136 Cambodia 483 days 2019 up 15.0% rising
136 Sweden 483 days 2019 up 1.5% falling
138 Peru 478 days 2019 up 11.7% falling
139 Antigua and Barbuda 476 days 2019 up 35.6% rising
140 Equatorial Guinea 475 days 2019 unchanged flat
141 Latvia 469 days 2019 up 51.8% rising
142 Kenya 465 days 2019 unchanged flat
143 Namibia 460 days 2019 down 8.0% falling
144 Estonia 455 days 2019 up 7.1% rising
144 Samoa 455 days 2019 unchanged flat
146 France 447 days 2019 unchanged flat
147 Burkina Faso 446 days 2019 unchanged flat
148 United Arab Emirates 445 days 2019 down 17.1% falling
149 United States 444 days 2019 up 48.0% rising
150 United Kingdom 437 days 2019 up 9.5% rising
151 Tajikistan 430 days 2019 unchanged flat
151 Vanuatu 430 days 2019 unchanged flat
153 Cape Verde 425 days 2019 unchanged flat
153 Malaysia 425 days 2019 down 27.4% falling
155 Thailand 420 days 2019 down 12.3% falling
156 Iceland 417 days 2019 unchanged rising
157 Kyrgyzstan 410 days 2019 up 57.7% rising
157 Zimbabwe 410 days 2019 unchanged flat
159 Indonesia 403.2 days 2019 down 19.0% falling
160 Australia 402 days 2019 up 1.8% flat
161 Norway 400 days 2019 unchanged falling
161 Vietnam 400 days 2019 unchanged falling
163 Nigeria 399 days 2019 down 12.7% falling
164 Austria 397 days 2019 unchanged flat
164 Fiji 397 days 2019 unchanged flat
166 Hong Kong 385 days 2019 up 26.2% rising
167 Niger 380 days 2019 down 30.3% falling
168 Ukraine 378 days 2019 unchanged flat
169 Mongolia 374 days 2019 up 19.1% rising
170 Kazakhstan 370 days 2019 down 5.1% falling
170 Lithuania 370 days 2019 up 23.3% rising
170 Mauritania 370 days 2019 unchanged falling
173 Japan 360 days 2019 unchanged flat
174 Tonga 350 days 2019 unchanged falling
175 Mexico 340.65 days 2019 down 17.9% falling
176 Russia 337 days 2019 up 19.9% rising
177 Luxembourg 321 days 2019 unchanged flat
178 Guinea 311 days 2019 up 12.7% rising
179 South Korea 290 days 2019 up 26.1% rising
180 Georgia 285 days 2019 unchanged falling
181 Azerbaijan 277 days 2019 up 16.9% rising
182 Belarus 275 days 2019 up 22.2% rising
183 Rwanda 230 days 2019 down 11.5% falling
184 South Sudan 228 days 2019 unchanged flat
185 Bhutan 225 days 2019 unchanged falling
185 Uzbekistan 225 days 2019 unchanged flat
187 New Zealand 216 days 2019 unchanged flat
188 Singapore 164 days 2019 up 9.3% rising

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: Time (days)
Unit
days
Source
World Bank
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
190 places, 3,083 data points, 2003–2019
Last refreshed

The time to enforce contracts is recorded in calendar days, counted from the moment plaintiff decides to file the lawsuit in court until payment. The average duration of the following three different stages of dispute resolution is recorded: (i) filing and service, (ii) trial and judgment, and (iii) enforcement.