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

China Sinks Lower
Australia Climbs DII Global Top 10 Pushing Sweden Lower
New Zealand Reclaims 10th Place; Germany Slips to 11th
Argentina, Paraguay, Honduras, and Uruguay Continue Improvements
Norway, Ireland, Hong Kong, Turkey, El Salvador, and Venezuela Decline
India Remains Steady
Namibia, Anguilla, Jordan, and Jamaica Post Large Gain

Oakland, California – BizWorld announces its June 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.

This month’s DII release includes a number of data updates, most notably the addition of the CATO Institute’s Human Freedom Index as well as newly released metrics from Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index and the United Nation’s Human Development Index.

“This month’s addition of the CATO Institute’s Human Freedom Index had an immediate impact on our rankings,” said BizWorld Founder Tim Draper. “The inclusion of CATO’s Index contributed to Argentina’s renewed rise up the rankings and to China’s continued decline. In fact, at 67th, China’s fall has now fallen to its lowest level yet since the country was ranked 15th in the inaugural 2021 DII Global index rankings. Here at BizWorld, we continually seek to enhance the DII Global by incorporating the most current, accurate, and relevant data sources because our index is designed to reflect the constantly changing and evolving global economy.”

Top Takeaways from the DII Global June 2025 Update

• China fell to 67th place with a significantly below-average CATO Human Freedom Index, a worsening Corruption Perception Index, and falling AI/Machine Learning venture capital investments.
• Hong Kong also fell from 22nd to 32nd due to a drop in its Corruption Perception Index score.
• Argentina, on the other hand, rose across all three scenarios due to an improved U.N. Human Development Index score and a strong CATO Human Freedom Index score.
• Australia rose from 7th place to 5th, overtaking Denmark (6th) and Sweden (7th) thanks to improved performances on the United Nation’s Human Development Index and Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index.
• India remained in 68th place as an improving U.N. Human Development Index score and increased AI/Machine Learning venture capital investment was offset by a worsening Corruption Perception Index score and a below-average CATO Human Freedom Index score.
• Namibia saw this month’s highest climb. It rose from 141st to 123rd in the Balanced scenario thanks to an improving Human Development Index score and above-average Human Freedom Index score.
• Honduras rose from 166th to 163rd thanks to an improving U.N. Human Development Index and above-average CATO Human Freedom score.
• Paraguay rose to 106th due to improvements on the Corruption Perception and U.N. Human Development indices; it also had a slight above-average CATO Human Freedom Index score.
• Uruguay rose from 39th overall to 34th for the same reasons, combined with a strong currency performance.
• El Salvador fell to 143rd, as a small increase in its U.N. Human Development Index failed to offset a declining Corruption perception Index.
• New Zealand returned to the DII Global Top 10 by outperforming 11th place Germany in monthly AI/Machine Learning venture capital investment growth.
• Norway slipped from 16th to 19th, weighed lower due CATO’s Human Freedom Index and a worsening World Uncertainty Index.
• Ireland fell to 16th due in large part to U.N. Human Development Index data analytics.
• Venezuela was dropped from 195th to 210th due to a worsening Corruption Perception Index combined with poor currency performance.
• Turkey fell by 13 places to 139th in the DII Global as declining AI/Machine Learning venture capital investments, a lower U.N. Human Development Index, and below-average currency performance pulled the country’s rank lower.
• Anguilla, supported by comparatively strong currency performance than peer-ranked countries, saw its ranking improve from 133rd to 118th.
• Jordan’s DII Global rank rose 13 places to 97th, thanks to a large jump in its U.N. Human Development Index, improvements in its Corruption Perception Index, and stronger than average currency performance.
• Jamaica’s rising U.N. Human Development Index and above-average CATO Human Freedom Index drove the country’s rank higher, from 132nd to 121st.

“China, the world’s second largest economy, fell across all three DII Global scenarios this month,” said BizWorld Chief Economic Advisor Dr. Wallace Walrod. “This was due to a number of factors, including a declining performance on the Corruption Perception Index and a weak score on the newly incorporated CATO Human Freedom Index. Corruption and a lack individual and economic freedom are, of course, a poor combination, and nations wanting to build investments in innovators and entrepreneurs would do well by focusing on addressing these issues.”

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/