The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade has released its State and Union Territory Startup Ecosystem Rankings 2024, assessing how effectively Indian states are nurturing startups and entrepreneurship.

What is this ranking about?

• It is a yearly evaluation exercise conducted by the DPIIT under the broader Startup India framework.
• The exercise is aimed at supporting states and UTs in developing their startup ecosystem and learning from each other’s best practices.
• 34 States and  UTs participated in the latest edition and are ranked under five categories– best performers, top performers, leaders, aspiring leaders and emerging startup ecosystems.
• States are grouped based on population size (above and below one crore) to ensure fair comparison.
• States and UTs are assessed across six reform areas and nineteen action points, covering:
  • Policy and institutional support
  • Physical and digital infrastructure
  • Access to funding
  • Market access and linkages
  • Capacity building for entrepreneurs
  • Innovation-led growth

Top highlights from the rankings

• Best Performers:
  • Gujarat, Arunachal Pradesh, and Goa emerged as the best performers in building a robust startup ecosystem.
  • Gujarat achieved this distinction for the fifth consecutive year, reflecting policy consistency and strong institutional support.
• Top Performers:
  • Karnataka, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and Himachal Pradesh.
• Leaders:
  • Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Kerala, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Telangana, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, and Nagaland.
• Aspiring Leaders:
  • Assam, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Odisha, Mizoram, Sikkim, Tripura, and Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
• Emerging Startup Ecosystems:
  • Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Chandigarh, Ladakh, Lakshadweep, Puducherry, and Dadra & Nagar Haveli & Daman and Diu.

One-line wrap

The DPIIT startup rankings underline that strong policy support, infrastructure, and funding access are key to transforming states into vibrant centres of entrepreneurship.

Exam Hook 

Q. Consider the following statements regarding India’s Startup Ecosystem Rankings:

1. The rankings are released annually by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade.
2. States are evaluated only on the number of startups registered.
3. Gujarat has been ranked as a best performer multiple times in succession.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer: 1 and 3 only.

SOURCE