The United States maintains its position as the world's most powerful startup country, but data from StartupBlink's Startup Ecosystem Index 2025 reveals a worrying trend: the U.S. leadership is no longer expanding, but is slowly eroding in the face of the dynamism of other regions.

The report, which analyzes the ecosystems of 118 countries and 1,473 cities, shows that although the United States retains first place, its growth rate is the lowest among the top ten entrepreneurial economies: +18.2% compared to an average of +27.6% in the top 10. This slowdown is significant when compared to the progress of countries such as Singapore (+44.9%), France (+30.2%) or China (+45.9%).

In the period from 2020 to 2022, the total score of the United States was five times higher than that of the second-ranked United Kingdom. Today, that gap has narrowed to 3.7 times and remains stable. While the advantage remains considerable, the trend points to an adjustment in the global balance of power.

Fewer cities, less momentum

One of the clearest signs of weakening is the steady decline in the number of U.S. cities in the top ranks. In 2025, only 32 U.S. cities are in the global top 100, a five-year low. In the top 300, the drop was from 85 cities in 2024 to 81 in 2025. And in the global top 1,000 cities as a whole, the U.S. share dropped to 22%, a steady year-over-year decline.

In addition, six of the top ten cities within the country dropped in the global ranking, reversing the trend from 2024, when only two showed a decline. Among the 30 strongest cities in the U.S. ecosystem, only two managed to climb positions. And in the rest of the top 100, only one more moved up. The rest stagnated or fell.

The exceptions: New York, Austin and Miami

Despite the general context, some cities managed to stand out. New York, ranked second in the world, recorded growth of +25.5%, consolidating its leading position and closing in slightly on San Francisco. Austin, with a +24.1% advance, moved up to 16th place globally, while Miami climbed two positions thanks to growth of +28.5%, the highest among U.S. cities in the top 30.

However, other major metropolises such as Los Angeles, Boston, Seattle, Chicago and Washington showed growth below the global average and even lost ground to emerging hubs in Asia and Europe.

Rising competitors

The report points to a global acceleration led by Asia. Guangzhou (China) grew by 55% and climbed 11 places. Hangzhou, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Singapore City also grew by more than 38%. Europe, meanwhile, is showing signs of renewal: cities such as Paris, Brussels, Copenhagen and Tallinn had rises of more than 30%.

What is at stake?

The United States still dominates in terms of investment volume, concentration of unicorns and leadership in industries such as software and data. However, its ecosystem is beginning to lose traction in the face of regions that offer more aggressive business environments in terms of growth and more active public policies to promote entrepreneurship.

This stagnation poses strategic challenges: how to attract new global talent, how to retain capital in the face of Asia's advance, how to revitalize intermediate hubs beyond the traditional shores, and how to revitalize the traditional hubs.

The report suggests that if the United States wants to sustain its leadership, it will need to act fast. The dynamism that once seemed exclusive to Silicon Valley is now shifting, fragmenting the global innovation map.