Time required to start a business in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Time required to start a business was 4.5 days in 2019. ▼ Falling
Time required to start a business in United Kingdom, 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 United Kingdom stood at 4.5 days. That is the lowest value across all 17 years on record.
The figure is down 60.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, time required to start a business in United Kingdom peaked at 12 days in 2003 and was at its lowest, 4.5 days, in 2015.
United Kingdom ranks 163rd 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.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 11.64 days | 11.5 days | 12 days | 7 |
| 2010s | 7.45 days | 4.5 days | 11.5 days | 10 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More reference data data for United Kingdom
- Spring temperature anomalies 1.37 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 2.09 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month -0.4402 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies -0.1504 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 1.74 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 153.13 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is time required to start a business in United Kingdom?
- Time required to start a business in United Kingdom was 4.5 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 United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 12 days in 2003.
- What is the lowest time required to start a business recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.5 days in 2015.
- How does United Kingdom rank for time required to start a business?
- United Kingdom ranks 163rd out of 188 countries with data for 2019.
- Is time required to start a business rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is down 60.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United Kingdom 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.