Best Startup Cities

Best startup cities in China in 2027

40 cities in China make our ranking of 1,000 startup cities worldwide. Beijing leads at #3 with a total score of 66.05, followed by Shanghai (#7) and Shenzhen (#21).

For women founders, Hong Kong scores highest in China on the MeanCEO Index with 72/100. Each city page covers funding, company registration, taxes, founder visas, pros and cons, and the ten MeanCEO factors.

Startup cities in China, ranked

#CityWorld rankTotalQuantityQualityBusinessMeanCEO
1 Beijing #3 66.05 5.01 58.61 2.43 62
2 Shanghai #7 42.16 3.57 36.17 2.43 68
3 Shenzhen #21 17.4 1.76 13.66 1.99 70
4 Hong Kong #32 13.2 2.77 8.18 2.26 72
5 Hangzhou #33 13.17 0.95 10.14 2.08 61
6 Guangzhou #65 6.89 0.63 4.09 2.18 65
7 Chengdu #86 5.96 0.34 3.43 2.2 61
8 Xiamen #151 3.87 0.17 1.27 2.43 66
9 Wuhan #174 2.97 0.17 1.18 1.62 56
10 Nanjing #205 2.04 0.11 0.94 0.99 59
11 Changsha #216 1.82 0.03 0.81 0.97 63
12 Chongqing #236 1.51 0.05 0.39 1.07 54
13 TianJin #252 1.36 0.05 0.35 0.96 56
14 Zhuhai #272 1.14 0.03 0.31 0.81 65
15 Qingdao #290 1.03 0.02 0.28 0.73 66
16 Chaoyang #304 0.92 0.02 0.25 0.65 54
17 Baoding #309 0.89 0.01 0.25 0.63 57
18 Zhengzhou #351 0.69 0.02 0.18 0.49 57
19 Ningbo #378 0.62 0.08 0.1 0.44 56
20 Quanzhou #389 0.57 0.01 0.16 0.41 55
21 Jiaxing #417 0.51 0.02 0.13 0.36 58
22 Dalian #427 0.49 0.02 0.12 0.34 66
23 Chian #475 0.4 0.08 0.04 0.29 57
24 Fuzhou #483 0.39 0.07 0.04 0.28 57
25 Jinan #485 0.39 0.05 0.06 0.27 60
26 Hefei #546 0.32 0.05 0.04 0.23 59
27 Wuxi #553 0.31 0.05 0.04 0.22 57
28 Yantai #575 0.3 0.01 0.08 0.21 66
29 Foshan #611 0.26 0.02 0.05 0.19 60
30 Baoshan #713 0.2 0.03 0.03 0.14 58
31 Haikou #741 0.19 0.04 0.02 0.14 58
32 Changzhou #764 0.19 0.01 0.04 0.13 57
33 Shijiazhuang #822 0.17 0.02 0.03 0.12 52
34 Changchun #842 0.16 0.02 0.03 0.11 43
35 Shenyang #849 0.16 0.03 0.02 0.11 57
36 Kunming #879 0.15 0.02 0.03 0.1 57
37 Nanning #931 0.12 0.02 0.02 0.09 56
38 Nanchang #939 0.12 0.01 0.02 0.09 57
39 Harbin #967 0.09 0.01 0.02 0.06 45
40 Taiyuan #968 0.09 0.01 0.02 0.06 57

Total = quantity (startups, accelerators, coworking spaces) + quality (traction of top startups, unicorns, exits) + business environment (national conditions), from the StartupBlink Global Startup Ecosystem Index (2024 edition). The MeanCEO Index (0 to 100) is our own score of how livable and welcoming a city is for women founders.

Other countries in Asia and Oceania

All countries ยท All 1,000 cities, ranked