Time required to start a business in Netherlands
Netherlands: Time required to start a business was 3.5 days in 2019. ▼ Falling
Time required to start a business in Netherlands, 2003–2019
Source: Doing Business project, World Bank (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in days.
Analysis
Netherlands recorded 3.5 days for time required to start a business in 2019. That is the lowest value across all 17 years on record.
That represents a change of down 56.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, time required to start a business in Netherlands peaked at 9 days in 2003 and was at its lowest, 3.5 days, in 2014.
Netherlands ranks 176th of 188 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 17 years of available data.
Time required to start a business in Netherlands, year by year
| Year | days | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 9 days | — |
| 2004 | 9 days | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 9 days | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 8 days | -11.1% |
| 2007 | 8 days | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 8 days | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 8 days | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 8 days | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 8 days | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 5 days | -37.5% |
| 2013 | 4 days | -20.0% |
| 2014 | 3.5 days | -12.5% |
| 2015 | 3.5 days | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 3.5 days | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 3.5 days | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 3.5 days | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 3.5 days | +0.0% |
Netherlands compared with similar countries
- Netherlands's 3.5 days is below the median for high income countries, which is 8.5 days, 41% of the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Netherlands's 3.5 days is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 7.25 days, 48% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 8.43 days | 8 days | 9 days | 7 |
| 2010s | 4.6 days | 3.5 days | 8 days | 10 |
Countries ranked near Netherlands
- 175 United Arab Emirates 3.8 days compare
- 176 Azerbaijan 3.5 days compare
- 176 Denmark 3.5 days compare
- 176 Estonia 3.5 days compare
More reference data data for Netherlands
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.74 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.5851 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 3.79 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1102 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 3.79 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 5.83 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 3.59 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 2.93 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 18.47 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.6002 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is time required to start a business in Netherlands?
- Time required to start a business in Netherlands was 3.5 days in 2019, according to Doing Business project, World Bank (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest time required to start a business recorded in Netherlands?
- The highest recorded value was 9 days in 2003.
- What is the lowest time required to start a business recorded in Netherlands?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.5 days in 2014.
- How does Netherlands rank for time required to start a business?
- Netherlands ranks 176th out of 188 countries with data for 2019.
- Is time required to start a business rising or falling in Netherlands?
- Over the last ten years it is down 56.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Netherlands data come from?
- The figures come from Doing Business project, World Bank (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Time required to start a business. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 17 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of calendar days needed to complete the procedures to legally operate a business.