In Asia-Pacific, Uzbekistan rose one spot to 18th with an ecosystem growth rate of more than twice the second-fastest growing country in the region.

Uzbekistan is the second-ranked Central Asian country, while its capital Tashkent became the region’s top-ranked startup city for the first time.

Uzbekistan rose 19 places to 79th globally, posting the largest single-year rank increase and highest growth rate in the Index.