Get All Access for $5/mo

The Top 10 European Countries to Start a Business (Infographic) If you want to run a business, not just work at one, then these 10 countries are worth researching.

By Matthew McCreary

You're reading Entrepreneur Europe, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.

SmallBusinessPrices.co.uk

Starting a successful business is really hard. Not only do you need to work hard to see your vision through, to take on multiple roles and to take risks, but you also need a little luck along the way. You need to have the right sort of support around you, which can help you overcome tough times and thrive during the good ones.

Related: 5 European Countries Great for Startups

A new study by SmallBusinessPrices.co.uk can help you find a country that supports your business ambitions. The study weighs education levels, employment rates and several other factors to break down the top 10 European countries where you can start a business. Those top three are, in order:

  1. Ireland ranked first among the European countries in ease of paying taxes and fourth for ease of getting credit. Those low financial thresholds helped it take the top spot despite relatively low numbers in labor participation rate and mean monthly earnings.
  2. Iceland experienced 7.2 percent annual GDP growth, the highest number of any country on the list. Iceland's 83.8 percent labor participation also ranked first among the top 10.
  3. Sweden was ranked as the third-easiest country to start a business and the fourth easiest country for trading across borders. Those numbers helped overcome its relatively low-ranked mean monthly earnings.

For a full list of the top 10 countries, check out the infographic below.

Matthew McCreary

Entrepreneur Staff

Associate Editor, Contributed Content

Matthew McCreary is the associate editor for contributed content at Entrepreneur.com.
Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.

Branding

ChatGPT is Becoming More Human-Like. Here's How The Tool is Getting Smarter at Replicating Your Voice, Brand and Personality.

AI can be instrumental in building your brand and boosting awareness, but the right approach is critical. A custom GPT delivers tailored collateral based on your ethos, personality and unique positioning factors.

Business News

Joey Chestnut Is Going From Nathan's to Netflix for a Competition 15 Years in the Making

Chestnut was banned from this year's Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest due to a "rival" contract. Now, he'll compete in a Netflix special instead.

Business News

Is the AI Industry Consolidating? Hugging Face CEO Says More AI Entrepreneurs Are Looking to Be Acquired

Clément Delangue, the CEO of Hugging Face, a $4.5 billion startup, says he gets at least 10 acquisition requests a week and it's "increased quite a lot."

Growing a Business

He Immigrated to the U.S. and Got a Job at McDonald's — Then His Aversion to Being 'Too Comfortable' Led to a Fast-Growing Company That's Hard to Miss

Voyo Popovic launched his moving and storage company in 2018 — and he's been innovating in the industry ever since.

Starting a Business

I Left the Corporate World to Start a Chicken Coop Business — Here Are 3 Valuable Lessons I Learned Along the Way

Board meetings were traded for barnyards as a thriving new venture hatched.