Time required to start a business in Singapore

Singapore: Time required to start a business was 1.5 days in 2019. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2019)
1.5 days
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
184th
of 188 countries
All-time high
8 days
in 2003
All-time low
1.5 days
in 2018
Years of data
17
2003–2019

Time required to start a business in Singapore, 2003–2019

24682003201120192003: 8 days2004: 8 days2005: 6 days2006: 6 days2007: 5 days2008: 3.5 days2009: 2.5 days2010: 2.5 days2011: 2.5 days2012: 2.5 days2013: 2.5 days2014: 2.5 days2015: 2.5 days2016: 2.5 days2017: 2.5 days2018: 1.5 days2019: 1.5 days

Source: Doing Business project, World Bank (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in days.

Analysis

The most recent figure for time required to start a business in Singapore is 1.5 days, measured in 2019. That is the lowest value across all 17 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 40.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, time required to start a business in Singapore peaked at 8 days in 2003 and was at its lowest, 1.5 days, in 2018.

Singapore ranks 184th of 188 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 5.57 days 2.5 days 8 days 7
2010s 2.3 days 1.5 days 2.5 days 10

Countries ranked near Singapore

  1. 182 Togo 2.5 days compare
  2. 183 Australia 2 days compare
  3. 184 Canada 1.5 days compare
  4. 184 Hong Kong 1.5 days compare
  5. 187 Georgia 1 days compare

See the full ranking of 188 places →

More reference data data for Singapore

All data for Singapore →

Frequently asked questions

What is time required to start a business in Singapore?
Time required to start a business in Singapore was 1.5 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 Singapore?
The highest recorded value was 8 days in 2003.
What is the lowest time required to start a business recorded in Singapore?
The lowest recorded value was 1.5 days in 2018.
How does Singapore rank for time required to start a business?
Singapore ranks 184th out of 188 countries with data for 2019.
Is time required to start a business rising or falling in Singapore?
Over the last ten years it is down 40.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Singapore 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

Indicator
Time required to start a business
Unit
days
Source
Doing Business project, World Bank (2025) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
188 places, 2,945 data points, 2003–2019
Last refreshed

Number of calendar days needed to complete the procedures to legally operate a business.