Time required to start a business in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: Time required to start a business was 27 days in 2019. ▼ Falling
Time required to start a business in Zimbabwe, 2003–2019
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 Zimbabwe is 27 days, measured in 2019. That is the lowest value across all 17 years on record.
The figure is down 15.6% on the previous year and down 71.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, time required to start a business in Zimbabwe peaked at 132 days in 2003 and was at its lowest, 27 days, in 2019.
Zimbabwe ranks 36th of 188 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 17 years of available data.
Time required to start a business in Zimbabwe, year by year
| Year | days | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 132 days | — |
| 2004 | 94 days | -28.8% |
| 2005 | 94 days | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 94 days | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 94 days | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 94 days | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 94 days | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 87 days | -7.4% |
| 2011 | 87 days | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 87 days | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 91 days | +4.6% |
| 2014 | 91 days | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 91 days | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 91 days | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 61 days | -33.0% |
| 2018 | 32 days | -47.5% |
| 2019 | 27 days | -15.6% |
Zimbabwe compared with similar countries
- Zimbabwe's 27 days is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 15 days, 1.8× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Zimbabwe's 27 days is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 14.25 days, 1.9× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 99.43 days | 94 days | 132 days | 7 |
| 2010s | 74.5 days | 27 days | 91 days | 10 |
Countries ranked near Zimbabwe
More reference data data for Zimbabwe
- Exchange rate, new LCU per USD extended backward, period average 58,959 (2026)
- Exchange rate, old LCU per USD extended forward, period average 58,959 (2026)
- Official exchange rate, LCU per USD, period average 58,959 (2026)
- Global number of reported disasters by size, gaps filled 0 events (2024)
- Annual precipitation, annual growth rate 122.78 % change on previous year (2025)
- Free country, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Civil liberties rating, gaps filled 5 (2025)
- Civil liberties rating, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Civil liberties rating, per capita 0 units per person (2025)
- Consumer price index 11,077 2010 = 100 (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is time required to start a business in Zimbabwe?
- Time required to start a business in Zimbabwe was 27 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 Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was 132 days in 2003.
- What is the lowest time required to start a business recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was 27 days in 2019.
- How does Zimbabwe rank for time required to start a business?
- Zimbabwe ranks 36th out of 188 countries with data for 2019.
- Is time required to start a business rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
- Over the last ten years it is down 71.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Zimbabwe 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.