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

Spain, Italy, Belgium, France, and Germany Fall in the DII Global
Due to U.S. State Department Travel Advisories
Uruguay Sees Large Gains due to AI & Machine Learning VC Growth
Australia Overtakes Denmark in DII Global Top 10
Iceland, Canada, South Korea, Estonia, and Japan Rise in DII Global Top 20
Chile Breaks into the DII Global Top 20, New Zealand Falls
China, Russia, and India All Register Declines
Isle of Man, Saint Helena, and Kuwait See Largest Gains
Ghana and Lesotho See Largest Declines

San Mateo, California – BizWorld announces its August 2026 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.

“Spain fell 12 places this month,” said BizWorld Founder Tim Draper. “Belgium, Italy, France, and Germany also fell sharply, in all five cases due primarily to negative U.S. State Department travel advisory ratings. The sharp drop across Western European powerhouses is a clear warning sign. Perceptions of safety alongside heavy administrative red tape create real headwinds for entrepreneurship. Spain in particular faces extremely high levels of red tape at both the state and local levels, which drag economic growth, innovation, and investment. According to Spanish economist Juan S. Mora-Sanguinetti, Spain implemented 11,775 new regulations in 2022 alone, which works out to one every 45 minutes.”

Top Takeaways from the DII Global August 2026 Update

Key Risers: Uruguay, Isle of Man, Saint Helena, Kuwait, Estonia, Japan, Chile
Key Fallers: Spain, Italy, Belgium, France, Germany, Ghana, Lesotho

• Spain dropped 12 places to 39th as the U.S. State Department issued a Travel Advisory due to terrorism and unrest as well as increased its advisory to ‘Level 3 – Reconsider Travel’. Belgium (30th) and Italy (43rd) both declined by 7 places also due to U.S. State Department Travel Advisories with Belgium seeing rising crime, terrorism, and unrest and Italy due to terrorism. France (25th) and Germany (18th) also slipped for similar reasons; their declines were slightly offset by rising AI/Machine Learning venture capital investments.
• Uruguay jumped 8 places – from 46th to 38th – in the DII Global, thanks to considerable improvements in AI/Machine Learning venture capital investment growth.
• Australia (4th) pushed ahead of Denmark (5th) in the DII Top 10 thanks to comparatively stronger currency performance and increased AI/Machine Learning venture capital investment growth.
• New Zealand fell to 12th after registering below-average currency performance while Canada saw slightly above-average currency performance helping it rise by one place to 11th.
• South Korea improved by one place to 13th while Iceland rose by two places to 14th benefitting from rising AI/Machine Learning venture capital investments.
• Estonia (17th) improved by one rank thanks to rising AI/Machine Learning venture capital investment growth.
• Chile debuted at 20th in the DII Global Top 20 also due to rising AI/Machine Learning venture capital investment growth.
• Japan improved to 19th due to rising venture capital investment growth.
• China slipped from 76th to 78th due to falling AI/Machine Learning venture capital investment growth and below-average currency performance.
• Russia saw a marginal decline as AI/Machine Learning venture capital investment growth dropped. It remains near the bottom of the rankings.
• India sank from 55th to 57th in the DII Global as below-average currency performance offset AI/Machine Learning venture capital investment growth.
• Isle of Man saw this month’s largest gain, jumping 13 places to 51st, thanks to comparatively stronger currency performance.
• Saint Helena saw similar improvements, rising 11 places to 110th also thanks to above-average currency performance.
• Kuwait saw the third largest improvement, rising from 119th to 109th due to AI/Machine Learning venture capital investment growth.
• Ghana (164th) and Lesotho (177th) were tied for this month’s largest decline, with both countries slipping 13 places as both contended with large negative trends in their World Uncertainty Index rankings.

“Uruguay’s impressive eight-spot jump shows what happens when a nation actively fosters cutting-edge tech investment,” said BizWorld Chief Economic Advisor Dr. Wallace Walrod. “By aggressively attracting venture capital into AI and machine learning, Uruguay is proving that smaller nations can punch far above their weight in global entrepreneurship, swiftly reshaping their economic landscape and cementing their position as an emerging innovation hub in Latin America.”

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 San Mateo, 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/