The best startup ecosystems in Asia Pacific in 2026 show where startup activity, investment, innovation, and ecosystem support are strongest across the region. Based on the StartupBlink Global Startup Ecosystem Index 2026, this ranking highlights the leading startup countries and startup cities in Asia Pacific, helping founders, investors, and ecosystem builders understand where the region’s strongest startup hubs are located.Because startup ecosystem strength is not always concentrated in the same way, this article looks at both countries and cities. Country rankings capture national startup ecosystem performance, while city rankings measure the absolute strength of individual startup hubs.In 2026, Singapore is the top startup country in Asia Pacific, while Beijing is the top startup city. Australia enters the global country top 10, Taiwan records the fastest growth among Asia Pacific’s top 10 startup countries, and Singapore City is the fastest-growing city in the regional top 10.Want to see rankings beyond the top 10? Top Startup Countries in Asia Pacific in 2026Singapore remains Asia Pacific’s leading startup country with a total score of 68.043, almost twice Australia’s. Australia holds second place and China ranks third, while Japan and South Korea complete an unchanged regional top five.Below the top three, the country ranking is highly competitive. Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and India occupy ranks four through seven, with India’s score just 0.7% below Japan’s and no adjacent pair separated by more than 0.27%. The four countries sit consecutively at 18th, 19th, 20th, and 21st globally. Small changes in score could reorder the entire group in the coming years.Taiwan is the main beneficiary of this compression. It overtook India to reach sixth after recording +41.1% annual growth. This is the fastest rate among Asia Pacific’s top 10 startup countries. India moves down one place regionally despite strong +25.9% growth, showing how competitive the middle of the table has become.China is the only country in the regional top 10 to record negative growth. That single decline impacts the whole regional picture. Asia Pacific grew by just 5.6% in 2026, the slowest of any global region, even though nine of its top 10 countries grew and six of them grew by more than 20%. China’s size means its contraction outweighs strong growth across much of the rest of the ranking.Ecosystem value adds another lens. China remains Asia Pacific’s largest startup economy by value at US$2.3 trillion, while India’s ecosystem value of US$620.3 billion is far ahead of several countries that rank above it by total score. Japan’s US<head>99.7 billion also exceeds Australia’s US<head>95.2 billion, even though Australia ranks two places higher by total score.The country ranking shows a region led by Singapore and Australia, with China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and India forming a highly competitive middle tier. Oceania is represented by Australia and New Zealand, while Southeast Asia is represented by Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia. Top 10 Best Startup Countries in Asia Pacific1. SingaporeAsia Pacific rank: 1 • Total score: 68.043 • Annual growth: +24.4%Singapore is the best startup country in Asia Pacific in 2026 by a clear margin, and the region’s only country inside the global top five, at 4th. Its total score is almost twice Australia’s, giving it the region’s strongest country-level position despite the presence of much larger markets below it.The country’s strength is closely tied to Singapore City, which accounts for 100% of its city-level startup activity. This makes Singapore a prominent example of a national startup ecosystem built around a single globally competitive hub.2. AustraliaAsia Pacific rank: 2 • Total score: 35.438 • Annual growth: +22.9%Australia ranks second in Asia Pacific and records one of the region’s strongest momentum stories, climbing three places to 9th and entering the global top 10. Its +22.9% growth keeps it well ahead of China by total score, though its ecosystem value of US<head>95.2 billion sits just behind Japan’s.Australia’s rise is also visible at city level, where Sydney enters the Asia Pacific top 10. Together with New Zealand, it gives Oceania representation in the country ranking, but Australia remains the subregion’s clear leader.3. ChinaAsia Pacific rank: 3 • Total score: 24.817 • Annual growth: -7.9%China ranks third in Asia Pacific and 15th globally by total score, but remains the region’s largest startup economy by ecosystem value at US$2.3 trillion. This shows the difference between score-based rankings and the accumulated value of a startup economy.China still has Asia Pacific’s two leading startup cities, Beijing and Shanghai. However, its national score declined by -7.9%, making it the only country in the regional top 10 with negativ
