Increase Of Ecosystem Propels Azerbaijan To Forefront Of Central Asia's Startup Scene

(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 23. StartupBlink, a global research platform focused on innovation economies, has published its 2025 Global Startup Ecosystem Index - and Azerbaijan has achieved its best-ever ranking, Trend reports.

According to the Innovation and Digital Development Agency (IRIA), Azerbaijan has shown steady progress over the past four years, reaching a new peak in 2025. The country climbed six places from last year to rank 74th globally, with its startup ecosystem growing at an impressive 24% annual rate - the highest in the Central Asia region.

One of the report's standout highlights is Baku being named “City of the Year.” The capital outperformed regional peers in areas like e-commerce, retail, education, and social-entertainment technologies. Baku also made it into the global top 100 across several categories: events (31st), logistics (65th), travel (71st), online marketplaces (91st), and SaaS services.

The report also offers a broader look at Azerbaijan's startup landscape, highlighting the leading role of IRIA in driving innovation, digital transformation, and ecosystem development. Notable achievements include the expansion of innovation infrastructure, growth of tech parks, improved access to funding for startups, development of ICT talent, and strong international partnerships.

Several key initiatives were spotlighted for their impact, including the IDDA Awards and major events backed by IRIA, such as Baku ID and the INMerge Innovation Summit.

Azerbaijan's rise in the rankings has been steady: 89th in 2021, 85th in 2022, 84th in 2023, and 80th in 2024. The 2025 edition assessed startup ecosystems in 118 countries and 1,473 cities. The United States, United Kingdom, Israel, Singapore, and Canada topped this year's global list.

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