As Global Entrepreneurship Week kicks off today, the Kauffman Foundation released survey results from over 2,200 global entrepreneurs rating their startup scenes.
Overall, the US is ranked 7th (beat by Canada, among others), China comes in 8th, and Greece is ranked the lowest . (Ratings are on a scale of 1-7.)
- Qatar: 5.0
- Australia and New Zealand: 4.9
- Rwanda: 4.8
- Iceland: 4.7
- Canada: 4.7
- Egypt: 4.6
- United States: 4.6
- China: 4.4
- United Kingdom: 4.4
- Barbados: 4.3
- Algeria: 3.9
- Kenya: 3.9
- Palestinian Territories: 3.8
- Cape Verde: 3.8
- Myanmar: 3.7
- Romania: 3.6
- Saudi Arabia: 3.6
- Kazakhstan: 3.6
- Mexico: 3.6
- Ecuador: 3.5
- Tanzania: 3.5
- Bulgaria: 3.4
- Lebanon: 3.4
- Turkey: 3.3
- Bolivia: 3.3
- Russia: 3.3
- Croatia: 3.1
- Venezuela: 3.1
- Ukraine: 3.0
- Greece: 2.5
The GEW Policy Survey collected responses this summer from 109 countries. Respondents were a little less than 2/3 male, and almost 77 percent owned a business (with the rest planning to start one within a year). They rated 12 statements about regulation, access to resources, and entrepreneurial environment on a scale of 1-7 (4 being neutral). The countries above all had at least 20 responses.
Here is how American entrepreneurs ranked the country on various factors:
- Registering a business is clear and easy: 4.9 (ranked 10th)
- Officials regulating businesses are competent and honest: 4.2 (10th)
- Competition operates in compliance of law: 4.8 (11th)
- Tax laws are not impediments to development: 3.6 (19th)
- Intellectual property law protects theft inside country: 4.7 (6th)
- Courts resolve disagreements: 4.5 (7th)
- Entrepreneurs with strong records can obtain funding: 4.5 (4th)
- Businesses have access to energy, transportation, and networks: 4.8 (5th)
- Businesses can hire workers with knowledge, skills, and abilities: 4.4 (12th)
- Entrepreneurs have access to advisors and mentors: 5.3 (4th)
- National economic conditions are conducive to development: 4.8 (7th)
- People have high regard for entrepreneurship: 5.1 (2nd)
For all countries, business registration and public official honesty got the lowest average scores, and availability of mentors got the highest average score. There’s also a correlation between statements, particularly within a category (regulation, resources, or environment) – which means that as one area of the startup scene improves, others do as well.
Global Entrepreneurship Week, co-created and co-sponsored by the Kauffman Foundation, is in its sixth year. This week’s celebration will include thousands of events and competitions in 140 countries around the world, including policy discussions.