The Best Countries for Starting a Business Now

Which Countries Love Start-ups?

The World Bank's annual Doing Business report ranks the ease of doing business within 183 countries based on business-friendly regulations. The formula takes into account the ease of starting a business, factoring minimum cost, time, and available capital. Which economies are fostering start-ups? Get this, entrepreneurs: While the United States ranks fourth in the over-all ease of doing business in 2011, it didn't crack the top 10 for start-ups. Here's the count-down, starting at No. 9.

9. Belarus

Rank last year: 7
Days to start a business: 5
Access to credit ranking: 98
Over-all ease-of-doing-business rank: 69
In its overall ranking, the country, which is largely categorized as upper-middle income, made a whopping 22-position jump—going from 91 last year to 69 this year.

8. Rwanda

Rank last year: 9
Days to start a business: 3
Access to credit ranking: 8
Over-all ease-of-doing-business rank: 45
The World Bank study points out that Sub-Saharan Africa has been making massive efforts to reform economic hurdles for businesses, and Rwanda ranking within the top 10 for starting a business is proof. The country has recently instituted some electronic processes for starting a business, boosting entrepreneurship.

7. Georgia

Rank last year: 1
Days to start a business: 2
Access to credit ranking: 8
Over-all ease-of-doing-business rank: 16
Georgia, considered a lower-middle income country, is improving access to credit and protecting investors.

6. Macedonia

Rank last year: 5
Days to start a business: 3
Access to credit ranking: 24
Over-all ease-of-doing-business rank: 22
This is another country working in several sectors to ease the process of doing business, including dealing with construction permits, getting credit, and registering properties.

5. Hong Kong

Rank last year: 6
Days to start a business: 3
Access to credit ranking: 4
Over-all ease-of-doing-business rank: 2
The study points out that the country is actively making regulation reforms, in the areas of cost and minimum capital, that help foster start-ups.

4. Singapore

Rank last year: 4
Days to start a business: 3
Access to credit ranking: 8
Over-all ease-of-doing-business rank: 1
Singapore boasts relatively quick processes for getting construction permits and registering properties, while also has easy access to credit.

3. Canada

Rank last year: 3
Days to start a business: 5
Access to credit ranking: 24
Over-all ease-of-doing-business rank: 13
In a global trend in which where large economies are mentoring developing nations, Canada has been working with Peru to improve its business environment.

2. Australia

Rank last year: 2
Days to start a business: 2
Access to credit ranking: 8
Over-all ease-of-doing-business rank: 15
According to the data, the country has relatively easy access to credit and ease in trading across borders.

1. New Zealand

Rank last year: 1
Days to start a business: 1
Access to credit ranking: 4
Over-all ease of doing business rank: 3
According to the study, the "one-stop" shop approach, where most of the government agencies that a start-up needs are linked online, keeps the country on top.

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