Time required to start a business in Spain
Spain: Time required to start a business was 12.5 days in 2019. ◆ Volatile
Time required to start a business in Spain, 2003–2019
Source: Doing Business project, World Bank (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in days.
Analysis
Spain recorded 12.5 days for time required to start a business in 2019. That is the lowest value across all 17 years on record.
The figure is down 79.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, time required to start a business in Spain peaked at 138 days in 2003 and was at its lowest, 12.5 days, in 2018.
Spain ranks 89th of 188 countries on this measure, 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 Spain, year by year
| Year | days | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 138 days | — |
| 2004 | 137 days | -0.7% |
| 2005 | 70 days | -48.9% |
| 2006 | 60 days | -14.3% |
| 2007 | 60 days | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 61 days | +1.7% |
| 2009 | 61 days | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 52 days | -14.8% |
| 2011 | 29 days | -44.2% |
| 2012 | 30 days | +3.4% |
| 2013 | 24 days | -20.0% |
| 2014 | 14 days | -41.7% |
| 2015 | 14 days | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 13 days | -7.1% |
| 2017 | 13 days | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 12.5 days | -3.8% |
| 2019 | 12.5 days | +0.0% |
Spain compared with similar countries
- Spain's 12.5 days is above the median for high income countries, which is 8.5 days, 1.5× the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Spain's 12.5 days is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 7.25 days, 1.7× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Time required to start a business in Spain 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | -48.9% | 137 days | 70 days |
| 2011 | -44.2% | 52 days | 29 days |
| 2014 | -41.7% | 24 days | 14 days |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 83.86 days | 60 days | 138 days | 7 |
| 2010s | 21.4 days | 12.5 days | 52 days | 10 |
Countries ranked near Spain
More reference data data for Spain
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.18 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 2.85 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 11.76 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.898 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 11.76 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 10.67 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 6.03 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 11.06 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 52.4 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 4.89 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is time required to start a business in Spain?
- Time required to start a business in Spain was 12.5 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 Spain?
- The highest recorded value was 138 days in 2003.
- What is the lowest time required to start a business recorded in Spain?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.5 days in 2018.
- How does Spain rank for time required to start a business?
- Spain ranks 89th out of 188 countries with data for 2019.
- Is time required to start a business rising or falling in Spain?
- Over the last ten years it is down 79.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Spain 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.