Europe rates highly with Dealroom for tech ecosystem density

The Global Tech Ecosystem Index for 2026 tracks start-up ecosystems in 325 cities across 77 countries through three categories.

European cities account for 10 of the top 20 densest tech ecosystems in the world, according to a new report by innovation tracking platform Dealroom.

The ‘Global Tech Ecosystem Index’ for 2026 tracks start-up ecosystems in 325 cities across 77 countries through three categories: scale, per capita performance – or density – and growth, aiming to provide a “multidimensional view of the global innovation landscape”.

In density ratings, 45 European cities feature in the global top 100, ahead of North America’s 40. The rankings measure innovation output per capita, including start-up activity, enterprise value creation, ‘unicorns’ and university affiliations.

Cambridge, London, Stockholm, Ghent, Lausanne, Oxford, Tallinn, Copenhagen, Munich and Amsterdam are among the 20 global density leaders. The UK’s Cambridge is third in this metric, behind only the Bay Area and Boston, both in the US.