Time required to start a business in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Time required to start a business was 8 days in 2019. ◆ Volatile
Time required to start a business in Sri Lanka, 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 Sri Lanka stood at 8 days. That is the lowest value across all 17 years on record.
The figure is down 11.1% on the previous year and down 81.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, time required to start a business in Sri Lanka peaked at 56 days in 2003 and was at its lowest, 8 days, in 2019.
Sri Lanka ranks 131st 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 Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | days | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 56 days | — |
| 2004 | 46 days | -17.9% |
| 2005 | 46 days | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 46 days | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 42 days | -8.7% |
| 2008 | 44 days | +4.8% |
| 2009 | 44 days | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 38 days | -13.6% |
| 2011 | 35 days | -7.9% |
| 2012 | 11 days | -68.6% |
| 2013 | 11 days | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 11 days | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 10 days | -9.1% |
| 2016 | 9 days | -10.0% |
| 2017 | 9 days | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 9 days | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 8 days | -11.1% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 8 days is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 12 days, 67% of the median. (55 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 8 days is below the median for South Asia, which is 14.75 days, 54% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Time required to start a business in Sri Lanka 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | -68.6% | 35 days | 11 days |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 46.29 days | 42 days | 56 days | 7 |
| 2010s | 15.1 days | 8 days | 38 days | 10 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More reference data data for Sri Lanka
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.1608 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.316 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.33 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1784 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 2.33 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.539 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.1604 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 10.15 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.9713 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is time required to start a business in Sri Lanka?
- Time required to start a business in Sri Lanka was 8 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 Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 56 days in 2003.
- What is the lowest time required to start a business recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 8 days in 2019.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for time required to start a business?
- Sri Lanka ranks 131st out of 188 countries with data for 2019.
- Is time required to start a business rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 81.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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.