Time required to start a business in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Time required to start a business was 10.4 days in 2019. ◆ Volatile
Time required to start a business in Saudi Arabia, 2003–2019
Source: Doing Business project, World Bank (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in days.
Analysis
In 2019, time required to start a business in Saudi Arabia stood at 10.4 days. That is the lowest value across all 17 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 41.2% on the previous year and down 61.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, time required to start a business in Saudi Arabia peaked at 81.3 days in 2003 and was at its lowest, 10.4 days, in 2019.
That places Saudi Arabia 109th out of 188 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Time required to start a business in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | days | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 81.3 days | — |
| 2004 | 81.3 days | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 74.3 days | -8.6% |
| 2006 | 49.3 days | -33.6% |
| 2007 | 27.2 days | -44.8% |
| 2008 | 27.2 days | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 27.2 days | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 27.2 days | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 27.2 days | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 24.2 days | -11.0% |
| 2013 | 24.7 days | +2.1% |
| 2014 | 24.7 days | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 23.2 days | -6.1% |
| 2016 | 19.2 days | -17.2% |
| 2017 | 17.7 days | -7.8% |
| 2018 | 17.7 days | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 10.4 days | -41.2% |
Saudi Arabia compared with similar countries
- Saudi Arabia's 10.4 days is above the median for high income countries, which is 8.5 days, 1.2× the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Saudi Arabia's 10.4 days is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 14 days, 74% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Time required to start a business in Saudi Arabia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | -44.8% | 49.3 days | 27.2 days |
| 2019 | -41.2% | 17.7 days | 10.4 days |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 52.54 days | 27.2 days | 81.3 days | 7 |
| 2010s | 21.62 days | 10.4 days | 27.2 days | 10 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
- 108 Trinidad and Tobago 10.5 days compare
- 110 Russia 10.1 days compare
- 111 Colombia 10 days compare
- 111 Gabon 10 days compare
- 111 Kyrgyzstan 10 days compare
- 111 Niger 10 days compare
- 111 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 10 days compare
- 111 Switzerland 10 days compare
More reference data data for Saudi Arabia
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.1847 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.4 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.44 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1771 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 2.44 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.6194 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.2207 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 6.07 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 10.64 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.9641 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is time required to start a business in Saudi Arabia?
- Time required to start a business in Saudi Arabia was 10.4 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 Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 81.3 days in 2003.
- What is the lowest time required to start a business recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.4 days in 2019.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for time required to start a business?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 109th out of 188 countries with data for 2019.
- Is time required to start a business rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 61.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia 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.