Top 10 countries in Europe with the highest share of high-growth startups

Top 10 countries in Europe with the highest share of high-growth startups - Portugal Business News

Startup News Europe - Here is the ranking of the Top 10 countries in Europe with the highest share of high-growth startups, according to the report Key Figures on European Business 2026 published by Eurostat on May 28th, 2026:

What is a high-growth startup?

A high-growth startup is referred to as a gazelle and is defined as one that is 4 or 5 years old with at least 10 employees and whose number of employees grows, on average, by more than 10% per year over a 3-year period.

High-growth startups account for 0.9% of all companies with 10 or more employees in the EU.

The EU average share of high-growth startups is 0.87 in 2023.

Top 10 countries in Europe with the highest share of high-growth startups:

Here is the ranking of the Top 10 countries in Europe with the highest share of high-growth startups in 2023 according to a Eurostat report published on May 28th, 2026. The figures are produced under the statistical classification of economic activities in the European Community (NACE Rev. 2): Industry, construction and market services (except public administration and defence; compulsory social security; activities of membership organisations):

1 - Türkiye

Türkiye ranks No. 1 country in Europe with the highest share of high-growth startups with a 2.62% share of high-growth startups in Europe.

2 - Greece

Greece ranks 2nd country in Europe with the highest share of high-growth startups with a 1.87% share of high-growth startups in Europe.

3 - Lithuania

Lithuania ranks 3rd country in Europe with the highest share of high-growth startups with a 1.82% share of high-growth startups in Europe.

4 - Ireland

Ireland ranks 4th country in Europe with the highest share of high-growth startups with a 1.63% share of high-growth startups in Europe.

5 - Croatia & Latvia

Croatia & Latvia both rank 5th country in Europe with the highest share of high-growth startups with a 1.43% share of high-growth startups in Europe.

6 - Norway

Norway ranks 6th country in Europe with the highest share of high-growth startups with a 1.31% share of high-growth startups in Europe.

7 - Bulgaria

Bulgaria ranks 7th country in Europe with the highest share of high-growth startups with a 1.28% share of high-growth startups in Europe.

8 - Luxembourg

Luxembourg ranks 8th country in Europe with the highest share of high-growth startups with a 1.24% share of high-growth startups in Europe.

9 - Portugal

Portugal ranks 9th country in Europe with the highest share of high-growth startups with a 1.19% share of high-growth startups in Europe.

10 - Malta

Malta ranks 10th country in Europe with the highest share of high-growth startups with a 1.17% share of high-growth startups in Europe.