The world's most innovative countries have been revealed
Switzerland took first place in the 2026 Global Innovation Index. While Sweden and the US entered the top three, China overtook Germany, Japan, and France to secure the tenth spot.
The world's most innovative countries have been revealed
In the ranking compiled by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), 139 countries and economies were evaluated based on 79 indicators.
Switzerland led the ranking with 66.7 points. Sweden scored 63.2 points, while the US scored 62.3 points. South Korea took fourth place, and Singapore came fifth.
The index evaluates five areas of innovation capability: quality of institutions, human capital and research, infrastructure, market sophistication, and business sophistication. Two more groups of indicators reflect achievements in knowledge and technology outputs as well as creative outputs.
European countries occupied 14 out of the top 25 spots, and six places in the top ten. All of them belong to the high-income economy category.
According to the European Commission's 2026 European Innovation Scoreboard, the EU's innovation performance has been growing since 2019. However, WIPO noted that Europe faces the task of translating scientific achievements and industrial potential into fast-growing companies.
Raising funds to scale business, increasing labor productivity, and training specialists with digital skills also remain important issues. As technologies such as artificial intelligence expand, the need for qualified personnel is growing even further.
Leaders in Asia demonstrated mixed results. Although China ranked tenth in the overall rating with 57 points, it took 22nd place in innovation input resources and fifth place in innovation outputs.
This difference shows that China's position in innovation outputs is significantly higher than its place in input indicators.
India, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Indonesia also recorded significant growth. These middle-income countries have significantly improved their positions in the ranking since 2013.
Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates ranked 25th, entering the top 25 for the first time. Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Kuwait also improved their positions in 2026.
For these Gulf countries, one of the main tasks is to translate large investments, developed infrastructure, and the capabilities of state institutions into tangible scientific, technical, and creative outputs.