Enforcing Contracts

This topic looks at the efficiency of contract enforcement by following the evolution of a sale of goods dispute and tracking the time, cost, and number of procedures involved from the moment the plaintiff files the lawsuit until actual payment.

The table below shows the three main indicators for enforcing contracts. They are:
  • number of procedures from the moment the plaintiff files a lawsuit in court until the moment of payment,
  • time in calendar days to resolve the dispute, and
  • cost in court fees and attorney fees, where the use of attorneys is mandatory or common, expressed as a percentage of the debt value.
To see the details for a specific economy, use the dropdown box on the right or click on the links below.  Click on column headers to sort data.

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Research

Courts (PDF, 691KB), by Simeon Djankov and others, Quarterly Journal of Economics, May 2003.
Region or EconomyProcedures (number)Duration (days)Cost (% of claim)
East Asia & Pacific37.2551.048.4
Eastern Europe & Central Asia36.4425.223.4
Latin America & Caribbean39.7710.131.3
Middle East & North Africa43.7688.823.7
OECD30.8462.718.9
South Asia43.51,052.927.2
Sub-Saharan Africa39.4659.748.9
Afghanistan471,64225.0
Albania3939038.7
Algeria4763021.9
Angola461,01144.4
Antigua and Barbuda4535122.7
Argentina3659016.5
Armenia4928519.0
Australia2839520.7
Austria2539718.0
Azerbaijan3923718.5
Bahamas, the4942728.9
Bahrain4863514.7
Bangladesh411,44263.3
Belarus2822523.4
Belgium2550516.6
Belize5189227.5
Benin4282564.7
Bhutan472250.1
Bolivia4059133.2
Bosnia and Herzegovina3859538.4
Botswana2998728.0
Brazil4561616.5
Brunei5854036.6
Bulgaria3956423.8
Burkina Faso37446107.4
Burundi4483238.6
Cambodia44401102.7
Cameroon4380046.6
Canada3657022.3
Cape Verde3742521.8
Central African Republic4366082.0
Chad4174377.4
Chile3648028.6
China3440611.1
Colombia341,34652.6
Comoros4350689.4
Congo, Dem. Rep.43645151.8
Congo, Rep.4456053.2
Costa Rica4087724.3
Côte d'Ivoire3377041.7
Croatia3856113.8
Czech Republic2782033.0
Denmark3438023.3
Djibouti401,22534.0
Dominica4768136.0
Dominican Republic3446040.9
Ecuador3958827.2
Egypt421,01026.2
El Salvador3078619.2
Equatorial Guinea4055318.5
Eritrea3940522.6
Estonia3642518.9
Ethiopia3969015.2
Fiji3439738.9
Finland3223510.4
France3033117.4
Gabon381,07034.3
Gambia, the3243437.9
Georgia3628529.9
Germany3039414.4
Ghana3648723.0
Greece3981914.4
Grenada4772332.6
Guatemala311,45926.5
Guinea5027645.0
Guinea-Bissau411,14025.0
Guyana3658125.2
Haiti3550842.6
Honduras4590035.2
Hong Kong, China2421114.5
Hungary3333513.0
Iceland263936.2
India461,42039.6
Indonesia39570122.7
Iran3952017.0
Iraq5152032.5
Ireland2051526.9
Israel3589025.3
Italy411,21029.9
Jamaica3565545.6
Japan3031622.7
Jordan3968931.2
Kazakhstan3823022.0
Kenya4446526.7
Kiribati3266025.8
Korea3523010.3
Kuwait5056613.3
Kyrgyz Republic3917729.0
Lao PDR4244331.6
Latvia2727916.0
Lebanon3772130.8
Lesotho4169519.5
Liberia411,28035.0
Lithuania3021023.6
Luxembourg263218.8
Macedonia, FYR3838533.1
Madagascar3887142.4
Malawi42432142.4
Malaysia3060027.5
Maldives4166516.5
Mali3986052.0
Marshall Islands3647627.4
Mauritania4637023.2
Mauritius3775017.4
Mexico3841532.0
Micronesia3496566.0
Moldova3136516.6
Mongolia3231430.6
Montenegro4954525.7
Morocco4061525.2
Mozambique30730142.5
Namibia3327029.9
Nepal3973526.8
Netherlands2551424.4
New Zealand3021622.0
Nicaragua3554026.8
Niger3954559.6
Nigeria3945732.0
Norway333109.9
Oman5159813.5
Pakistan4797623.8
Palau3888535.3
Panama3168650.0
Papua New Guinea43591110.3
Paraguay3859130.0
Peru4146835.7
Philippines3784226.0
Poland3883012.0
Portugal3457714.2
Puerto Rico3962024.3
Qatar4357021.6
Romania3151219.9
Russian Federation3728113.4
Rwanda2431078.7
Samoa4445519.7
São Tomé and Principe431,18534.8
Saudi Arabia4463527.5
Senegal4478026.5
Serbia3663528.9
Seychelles3872014.3
Sierra Leone40515149.5
Singapore2115025.8
Slovakia3056525.7
Slovenia321,35018.6
Solomon Islands3745578.9
South Africa3060033.2
Spain3951517.2
Sri Lanka401,31822.8
St. Kitts and Nevis4757820.5
St. Lucia4763537.3
St. Vincent and the Grenadines4539430.3
Sudan5381019.8
Suriname441,71537.1
Swaziland4097223.1
Sweden3050831.3
Switzerland3241724.0
Syria5587229.3
Taiwan, China4751017.7
Tajikistan3429520.5
Tanzania3846214.3
Thailand3547914.3
Timor-Leste511,800163.2
Togo4158847.5
Tonga3735030.5
Trinidad and Tobago421,34033.5
Tunisia3956521.8
Turkey3542018.8
Uganda3853544.9
Ukraine3035441.5
United Arab Emirates5060726.2
United Kingdom3040423.4
United States323009.4
Uruguay4072019.0
Uzbekistan4219522.2
Vanuatu3043074.7
Venezuela2951043.7
Vietnam3429531.0
West Bank and Gaza4470021.2
Yemen3752016.5
Zambia3547138.7
Zimbabwe3841032.0