Translated with AI from the Russian original.
Uzbekistan has significantly strengthened its position in the StartupBlink Global Startup Ecosystem Index 2026, rising by 32 positions since 2023. In the latest ranking, the country took 79th place globally, improving its result by another 19 lines compared to last year and solidifying its status as one of the fastest-growing players in the innovation sector.
The growth dynamic appears stable: 111th place in 2023, 110th in 2024, 98th in 2025, and 79th in 2026. The authors of the study note that Uzbekistan has become one of the fastest-developing countries in terms of startup ecosystem growth, and the country itself was even named "Country of the Year 2026".
The growth of Tashkent stands out particularly, having increased by more than 150% and entering the top 300 global cities for startup environment development. Samarkand and Fergana entered the top 1000 for the first time. Experts attribute this breakthrough to the development of IT Park, digital economy reforms, and growing support for technological entrepreneurship and AI initiatives.
