Starting a business - Score in South Africa

South Africa: Starting a business - Score was 81.22 in 2019. β–² Rising

Latest (2019)
81.22
Change on year
up 0.0%
Rank
137th
of 188 groups
All-time high
81.43
in 2013
All-time low
73.11
in 2003
Years of data
17
2003–2019

Starting a business - Score in South Africa, 2003–2019

0204060802003201120192003: 73.12004: 73.22005: 742006: 74.22007: 75.62008: 80.72009: 80.72010: 80.72011: 81.42012: 81.42013: 81.42014: 79.72015: 79.72016: 802017: 802018: 81.22019: 81.2

Source: World Bank.

Analysis

In 2019, starting a business - score in South Africa stood at 81.22.

The figure is up 0.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, starting a business - score in South Africa peaked at 81.43 in 2013 and was at its lowest, 73.11, in 2003.

South Africa ranks 137th of 188 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 17 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 75.93 73.11 80.73 7
2010s 80.68 79.71 81.43 10

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 134 India 81.6 compare
  2. 135 Vanuatu 81.47 compare
  3. 136 Brazil 81.29 compare
  4. 138 Indonesia 81.21 compare
  5. 139 Argentina 80.43 compare
  6. 140 Papua New Guinea 80.15 compare

See the full ranking of 190 places β†’

More private sector data for South Africa

All data for South Africa β†’

Frequently asked questions

What is starting a business - score in South Africa?
Starting a business - score in South Africa was 81.22 in 2019, according to the World Bank.
What is the highest starting a business - score recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 81.43 in 2013.
What is the lowest starting a business - score recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 73.11 in 2003.
How does South Africa rank for starting a business - score?
South Africa ranks 137th out of 188 groups with data for 2019.
Is starting a business - score rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 0.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from the World Bank, published as part of Starting a business - Score. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Starting a business - Score in South Africa. Statizoid. Retrieved 16 August 2026, from https://private-sector.statizoid.com/stat/starting-a-business-score/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Starting a business - Score
Source
World Bank
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
190 places, 3,083 data points, 2003–2019
Last refreshed

The score for starting a business is the simple average of the scores for each of the component indicators: the procedures, time and cost for an entrepreneur to start and formally operate a business, as well as the paid-in minimum capital requirement.