BizWorld Updates Monthly Draper Innovation Index Global
Nations Compete to Land in Top Ten of Best Places Globally
to Launch a Startup

India Rises Across All DII Global Scenarios
Sweden Hurdles Over Denmark to 6th in Top Ten
Singapore Reclaims 7th Place from Australia
New Zealand Jumps into the Top 10, Netherlands Falls Out
Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Turks and Caicos Fall
Belize, Nauru, Brazil, Seychelles Rise
South Korea Moves Ahead of Austria, Japan and France in Top 20
Iceland Falls Further to 20th Place

Oakland, California – BizWorld announces its March 2025 update to the Draper Innovation Index Global (DII Global), which evaluates each nation’s ability to develop, support, and retain entrepreneurs, innovators, startups, and investors. First published in 2021, the DII Global provides the most well-rounded and up-to-date look at entrepreneurial environments across the globe.

“Morgan Stanley predicts that India, currently the world’s fifth largest economy, will become the third largest by 2028,” said BizWorld Founder Tim Draper. “One key advantage is its younger population, a significant strength when many developed countries face demographic crises – India is expected to overtake China for the world’s largest working-class population in five years. As India’s emerging entrepreneurial environment continues to grow, this demographic dividend should continue to push India up the DII Global ladder in the coming months and years.”

Top Takeaways from the DII Global March 2025 Update

• Sweden overtook Denmark for fifth place due to strong monthly venture capital investment growth in AI/Machine Learning.
• Singapore overtook Australia for seventh place as a result of strong venture capital investment growth and local currency performance.
• Similarly, New Zealand outperformed Netherlands in venture capital investment growth, allowing it to jump into the DII Global Top 10.
• India rose from 70th to 67th in the DII Global, from 56th to 50th in Emerging Innovation and from 92nd to 84th in Government Quality, boosted by a positive outlook from S&P and exceptional growth in venture capital AI/Machine Learning investments.
• Comparatively weaker currency performance caused Marshall Islands and Micronesia to decline by 13 places; Turks and Caicos fell by 12 places for the same reason.
• Belize saw the single largest improvement in the DII Global, moving from 93rd to 78th, because it outperformed peer-ranked countries in local currency to bitcoin performance.
• Brazil’s strong currency performance allowed it to improve by 8 places to 92nd.
• Currency performance helped both Nauru and Seychelles improve by 12 places on the Balanced rankings.
• While Iceland (20th) slipped farther down the DII Global Top 20, France (19th) and Japan (18th) both rose by one place.
• South Korea (16th) climbed two ranks due to a decent performance across most DII Global metrics; Austria fell slightly from 16th to 17th.
• Aruba (100th), Bhutan (112th), and Peru (88th) all saw their DII Global rankings fall 11 places, with Aruba and Bhutan weighed down due to currency performance and Peru falling due to an increased World Uncertainty Index.
• Strong currency performance saw Bosnia and Herzegovina’s DII Global rank jump 10 places.
• With a stable outlook from S&P, Trinidad and Tobago outperformed peer-ranked regions in currency performance helping to drive it higher by 12 places.
• Receiving a ‘positive’ outlook from S&P and strong currency performance helped push Jamaica’s ranking up 10 places.
• Despite slight declines in AI/Machine Learning venture capital investments, recent improved inflation trends allowed Kazakhstan to climb 9 places

“There were significant movements up and down in this month’s DII Global rankings. Two countries rose across all three DII Global scenarios this month,” said BizWorld Chief Economic Advisor Dr. Wallace Walrod. “India, which finished in 67th place, and Brazil, which finished in 92nd. India benefitted from strong AI and Machine Learning-related investment growth, which should be a priority for any national or regional economic strategy – these technologies are impacting pretty much every single industry and have tremendous future growth potential.”

The DII Global will release monthly updates to continually reflect the latest developments in global innovation and entrepreneurship, available here.

About BizWorld

BizWorld.org is a global non-profit organization based in Oakland, CA, whose mission is to enable youth from all backgrounds to unlock the power of entrepreneurship to create career opportunities, inspire self-reliance, and build confidence that drives economic prosperity globally. Founded over 25 years ago by Silicon Valley venture capitalist Tim Draper, BizWorld.org programs teach students real-world 21st century skills and leadership that encourage them to become responsible leaders and entrepreneurs of tomorrow. More than 850,000 students in more than 100 countries have participated in BizWorld programs. https://www.bizworld.org/