The Global Innovation Index (GII) 2025, released by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), ranks Switzerland, Sweden, and the United States as the top three most innovative economies globally, with India climbing to 38th place among 139 economies and ranking first in the lower-middle-income group for innovation performance.

Top 10 Most Innovative Countries

2025 GII Rank	Country	GII Score
1	Switzerland	66
2	Sweden	62.6
3	United States	61.7
4	South Korea	60
5	Singapore	59.9
6	United Kingdom	59.1
7	Finland	57.7
8	Netherlands	57
9	Denmark	56.9
10	China	56.6

Switzerland leads for the fifteenth consecutive year, with strong performances across creative outputs and knowledge-intensive employment. China entered the top 10 for the first time in 2025, driven by excellence in knowledge and technology outputs and patent filings.
India's Performance in GII 2025

• India ranks 38th globally, the highest among lower-middle-income economies and in the Central and Southern Asia region.
• India excels in Knowledge & Technology Outputs (#22 globally), has significant innovation clusters (Bengaluru, Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai), and has advanced rapidly from 81st rank in 2015.
• Despite improvements, India faces challenges in business sophistication, infrastructure, and institutional support; yet, it continues to outperform expectations relative to its development level for 15 consecutive years.

Global Trends and Methodology

• The GII covers 139 economies, evaluating innovation through 80+ indicators including policy environment, education, infrastructure, and knowledge creation.
• Global R&D growth slowed to 2.3% in 2025, marking the lowest growth since the 2010 financial crisis.
• Europe leads innovation rankings, with six countries in the top 10; North America remains strong, and East Asia continues rapid progress.

Notable Overperformers

• Middle-income economies like India, Vietnam, Türkiye, and Morocco showed substantial improvement in innovation performance.
• India and Vietnam maintained their status as persistent overperformers for a decade and a half.

The GII 2025 highlights global shifts in innovation leadership, rapid technological advancement, and emerging research hubs outside traditional leader regions.

India’s rank and key strengths in GII 2025
India is ranked 38th in the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2025, making it the highest-ranking lower-middle-income economy and the leader in Central and Southern Asia.
India’s Key Strengths in GII 2025

• Knowledge & Technology Outputs: Ranked 22nd globally, India excels in high-impact research, patents, ICT service exports (1st globally), and technology-driven growth.
• Market Sophistication: With a rank of 38th, India demonstrates strong financial resource mobilization, a vibrant venture capital ecosystem, and robust credit markets for innovation-led growth.
• Innovation Clusters: Four Indian cities feature in the world’s top 100 innovation clusters—Bengaluru (21st), Delhi (26th), Mumbai (46th), and Chennai (84th). Bengaluru and Delhi are now among the top 30 global clusters, ahead of many high-income economies.
• Human Capital & Research: India ranks among the top 40 worldwide, reflecting improvements in higher education, skilled workforce, and research collaborations.

India’s Weaknesses

• Business Sophistication (64th), Infrastructure (61st), and Institutions (58th) are areas where India lags in the rankings.

Overperformer Status

• India remains a consistent innovation overperformer, surpassing expected performance for its development level for the 15th year in a row, alongside Vietnam.
• Strategic government initiatives like Startup India, Atal Innovation Mission, and NIDHI have contributed to creating a supportive policy environment for startups and R&D.

India’s sustained improvement in GII reflects robust growth in innovation capacity, the success of domestic innovation clusters, and effective policy measures for fostering innovation ecosystems.

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