The World Intellectual Property Organization’s 2025 Global Innovation Index, released on September 16, places Switzerland first for the 15th consecutive year with 66.0 points. Mainland China enters the top ten for the first time, ranking tenth ahead of Germany.
Global top ten:
1. Switzerland — 66.0
2. Sweden — 62.6
3. United States — 61.7
4. Republic of Korea — 60.0
5. Singapore — 59.9
6. United Kingdom — 59.1
7. Finland — 57.7
8. Netherlands — 57.0
9. Denmark — 56.9
10. Mainland China — 56.6
Southeast Asian rankings:
Singapore — 5th
Malaysia — 34th
Viet Nam — 44th
Thailand — 45th
Philippines — 50th
Indonesia — 55th
Brunei — 88th
Cambodia — 100th
Laos — 109th
Myanmar — 122nd
East Asian and Oceanian rankings:
Republic of Korea — 4th
Mainland China — 10th
Japan — 12th
Hong Kong SAR — 15th
Australia — 22nd
The report says mainland China continues to lead middle-income economies and shows strong momentum in R&D investment, high-tech exports and innovation outputs. China hosts 24 of the world’s top 100 innovation clusters and leads international patent filings, accounting for about a quarter of the global total in 2024.
East Asia and Southeast Asia remain major drivers of innovation. The Republic of Korea and Singapore perform strongly in business R&D, education and infrastructure. Across ASEAN, R&D investment grew by an average of 8.5% annually from 2000 to 2023, while high-tech exports more than doubled between 2015 and 2022, indicating a narrowing gap with global innovation leaders.
WIPO also warns of challenges to the global innovation outlook. Global R&D investment growth slowed to 2.9% in 2024, its lowest since 2010, and is projected to slow further to 2.3% in 2025. Corporate R&D spending rose by only 1% in real terms, below the average of the past decade.
Compiled by the station
