Hong Kong amongst world’s easiest places to do business

The city ranked as the fourth least complex jurisdiction globally.

Hong Kong ranked amongst the world’s 10 easiest jurisdictions to do business in, supported by its stable regulatory environment and robust digital infrastructure, according to TMF Group.

The city placed 78th out of 81 jurisdictions in TMF Group’s Global Business Complexity Index 2026, making it the fourth least complex market globally. In the index, rank one is the most complex, and rank 81 is the least complex.

Hong Kong ranked behind the Cayman Islands, Denmark, and Jersey, and ahead of the Netherlands, New Zealand, the Czech Republic, Malta, Curacao, and the British Virgin Islands in the list of least complex jurisdictions.

TMF Group said Hong Kong and New Zealand have consistently ranked as low-complexity markets due to their stable and simple regulatory environments and strong digital infrastructure.

The report analysed 81 jurisdictions representing over 90% of the global economy, based on 292 indicators per market. It assessed business complexity across accounting and tax, legal entity management, and employment requirements.

APAC is ranked as a medium-complexity region overall, with a wide gap between lower-complexity jurisdictions such as Hong Kong and New Zealand, and more complex markets such as India and China.

China placed 17th most complex, improving by seven spots from last year after reforms increased legislative clarity, advanced the digitalisation of tax administration, and gradually simplified tax rules.

India ranked 13th most complex, with TMF Group citing its federal structure, where central and state regulations intersect. The report said reforms may add complexity in the short term but could create longer-term opportunities for foreign firms.

Other APAC markets ranked in the medium-to-low complexity range. Singapore placed 47th, Taiwan ranked 50th, and Japan came in 54th.

Globally, Greece was ranked the most complex jurisdiction for the third consecutive year, followed by Mexico, Brazil, France, and Turkey.