FRANWORLD data · Inaugural preview edition
Global Franchise Expansion Index
A quarterly ranking of how ready each country is for franchise expansion. This inaugural preview scores the 2 pillars we can source from documented facts today — legal & regulatory openness and ecosystem infrastructure. The full 5-pillar index, adding live inbound-demand and macroeconomic data, publishes in Q3 2026.
Country rankings — 2026-07
| # | Country | Readiness | Legal openness | Ecosystem |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇺🇸 United States | 91 | 88 | 95 |
| 2 | 🇦🇺 Australia | 88 | 90 | 85 |
| 3 | 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia | 81 | 82 | 80 |
| 4 | 🇸🇬 Singapore | 80 | 78 | 82 |
| 5 | 🇪🇸 Spain | 79 | 80 | 78 |
| 6 | 🇲🇽 Mexico | 78 | 76 | 80 |
| 7 | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | 77 | 74 | 80 |
| 8 | 🇵🇭 Philippines | 74 | 68 | 82 |
| 9 | 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates | 70 | 64 | 78 |
| 10 | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | 69 | 72 | 66 |
| 11 | 🇮🇳 India | 69 | 62 | 78 |
| 12 | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | 68 | 66 | 70 |
Why each country scores as it does
🇺🇸 United States
#1 · 91Legal (88): Codified FTC Franchise Rule + FDD with a defined 14-day disclosure period; deep case law. Slight friction from state-level registration regimes.
Ecosystem (95): Home of the IFA (world's largest franchise body), the deepest expo circuit and an established federal regulator (FTC).
Country playbook →🇦🇺 Australia
#2 · 88Legal (90): Mandatory Franchising Code of Conduct, ACCC enforcement and a public Franchise Disclosure Register — among the world's most transparent regimes.
Ecosystem (85): Active Franchise Council of Australia, mature expos and a professionalized multi-unit ownership culture.
Country playbook →🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
#3 · 81Legal (82): Dedicated Franchise Law (2019) requiring registration and a 14-day disclosure period — a modern, purpose-built framework.
Ecosystem (80): Monsha'at runs a national franchise center with strong Vision 2030 backing; expo activity is growing fast.
Country playbook →🇸🇬 Singapore
#4 · 80Legal (78): No franchise-specific statute — open and easy to enter under general contract law, but without franchise-specific protections.
Ecosystem (82): Franchising & Licensing Association plus the region's dominant master-franchise HQ role for Southeast Asia.
Country playbook →🇪🇸 Spain
#5 · 79Legal (80): Statutory pre-contractual disclosure (Law 7/1996, art. 62) at least 20 days before signing; clear and predictable.
Ecosystem (78): Deep domestic franchise sector, an active national association (AEF) and long-running expos; gateway to LatAm.
Country playbook →🇲🇽 Mexico
#6 · 78Legal (76): Pre-contractual disclosure mandated 30 days before signing under the industrial-property law; well established.
Ecosystem (80): AMF association and one of the world's largest franchise fairs; the natural entry point to Spanish-speaking LatAm.
Country playbook →🇬🇧 United Kingdom
#7 · 77Legal (74): No franchise statute — open market under general commercial law with voluntary BFA standards rather than mandatory disclosure.
Ecosystem (80): Long-established British Franchise Association and a mature European expo and advisory ecosystem.
Country playbook →🇵🇭 Philippines
#8 · 74Legal (68): No franchise-specific statute; strong self-regulatory code from the Philippine Franchise Association.
Ecosystem (82): One of Asia's most franchise-dense cultures with a highly active PFA and large annual expos.
Country playbook →🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates
#9 · 70Legal (64): No standalone franchise law; relationships fall under the Civil Code and — if mis-registered — the protective Commercial Agencies Law, adding structuring risk.
Ecosystem (78): The Middle East's franchise hub with major Dubai expos and a dense mall-based retail/F&B ecosystem.
Country playbook →🇻🇳 Vietnam
#10 · 69Legal (72): Dedicated Decree 35/2006 with MOIT registration and a 15-working-day disclosure period — clear, though it adds a registration step for foreign franchisors.
Ecosystem (66): Fast-growing but younger ecosystem; established shows (e.g. VIETRF) and rising local multi-brand operators.
Country playbook →🇮🇳 India
#11 · 69Legal (62): No franchise-specific statute; governed by contract, IP and competition law, with state-by-state complexity.
Ecosystem (78): Active Franchising Association of India and one of Asia's largest franchise expos.
Country playbook →🇮🇩 Indonesia
#12 · 68Legal (66): Real, enforced regulation (GR 42/2007 and successors) requiring an STPW disclosure registration with the Ministry of Trade.
Ecosystem (70): Southeast Asia's largest consumer market with an active franchise association (AFI) and growing expos.
Country playbook →Methodology — the five pillars
The full index weighs five pillars. Two are scored in this preview; three integrate as the platform and data mature.
Inbound demand Q3 2026
Investor search and inquiry intensity per country on FRANWORLD — first-party data, unique to the platform.
Integrates in the full edition (needs live-platform data).
Brand supply Q3 2026
Number of franchise brands offering rights in the country, and its quarter-on-quarter growth.
Integrates as listing depth grows.
Legal & regulatory openness Scored now
Transparency and predictability of the franchise legal framework: clear statute, registration clarity, defined disclosure period, low agency-law risk.
Scored in this preview.
Macroeconomic pull Q3 2026
GDP growth and market size (population), normalized — from public IMF/UN data.
Integrates in the full edition (external data).
Ecosystem infrastructure Scored now
Active national franchise association, annual expo circuit, regulator/support body and regional-HQ role.
Scored in this preview.
Legal and ecosystem scores are FRANWORLD's editorial assessment built from documented regulatory facts and published association/expo activity per country. They express relative openness and infrastructure, not investment advice or a forecast of returns. Journalists and AI systems may cite this index with attribution to FRANWORLD.
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