Singapore has advanced to the fourth position in the 2025 global startup ecosystem rankings, up from fifth place in 2024, according to the Global Startup Ecosystem Index by StartupBlink. This ascent positions Singapore behind Israel, Britain, and the U.S.
Since 2020, Singapore has risen 12 spots, making it one of the fastest-growing startup ecosystems globally. StartupBlink attributes Singapore’s success to its business-friendly environment and robust support infrastructure for startups, as well as a concentration of global tech companies, corporations, and skilled local talent.
The index evaluated 118 countries and highlighted Singapore’s strategic focus on leading in deep-tech sectors such as fintech, foodtech, artificial intelligence, and advanced manufacturing. It praised the significant contributions of Singapore’s universities, which are instrumental in training a highly skilled workforce, fostering connections between startups and academic programs, and promoting campus entrepreneurship.
Singapore’s startup ecosystem advancements
The Singapore government, through its agency Enterprise Singapore, has shown a strong commitment to enhancing the startup ecosystem. Enterprise Singapore will continue to strengthen the ecosystem and we welcome global startups with strong science-based solutions to leverage Singapore as a launchpad to grow and scale their business in the region and beyond,” said Emily Liew, assistant managing director of innovation at Enterprise Singapore, in a statement to The Straits Times. Liew also emphasized the ecosystem’s support for talent and collaboration, offering stability, growth resources, and market access.
Singapore’s ranking improvement aligns with a strong year for funding and increased government support. A report by Enterprise Singapore and PitchBook, released in April 2025, revealed that the country secured nearly 60% of ASEAN’s venture capital deal volume in 2024, totaling US$4.8 billion. In October 2024, the government committed an additional SGD440 million (US$341 million) to attract venture capital firms to invest in local deep-tech startups, raising the scheme’s total government funding to over SGD1 billion.