“India now stands as the #1 innovation performer among lower-middle-income economies and leads the Central and Southern Asia region.” — Global Innovation Index 2025, WIPO
India has risen to 38th position in the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2025, released by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). This marks a significant improvement from 48th rank in 2020 — a jump of 10 positions in five years. India continues to hold the #1 spot among lower-middle-income economies and ranks first in the Central and Southern Asia region, demonstrating strong innovation output relative to its income level.
📊 What is the Global Innovation Index?
The Global Innovation Index (GII) is an annual ranking of innovation performance across countries. It is published by WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization). The 2025 edition covers 139 economies.
The index uses more than 80 indicators grouped under seven pillars:
- Institutions — Regulatory environment, political stability
- Human Capital and Research — Education, R&D expenditure
- Infrastructure — ICT, energy, logistics
- Market Sophistication — Credit, investment, trade
- Business Sophistication — Knowledge workers, innovation linkages
- Knowledge and Technology Outputs — Patents, publications, IP
- Creative Outputs — Intangible assets, creative goods
Think of the GII as a “report card” for countries on how well they support innovation. It measures not just how much money a country spends on research, but also how effectively it converts ideas into patents, products, and economic growth. A higher rank means the country has a stronger innovation ecosystem.
🏆 Top 10 Global Performers in GII 2025
Switzerland continues to lead the world in innovation, followed by Sweden, the United States, and the Republic of Korea. Six European economies appear in the top 10, showing a wide base of strong performers in that region.
| Rank | Country | GII Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Switzerland | 66.0 |
| 2 | Sweden | 62.6 |
| 3 | United States of America | 61.7 |
| 4 | Republic of Korea | 60.0 |
| 5 | Singapore | 59.8 |
| 6 | United Kingdom | 59.1 |
| 7 | Finland | 57.7 |
| 8 | Netherlands | 57.0 |
| 9 | Denmark | 56.9 |
| 10 | China | 56.6 |
Top 5 Memory Aid: “Swiss-Swe-US-Korea-Sing” — Switzerland (1st), Sweden (2nd), USA (3rd), Republic of Korea (4th), Singapore (5th). China is the only Asian country in the top 10 besides Korea and Singapore.
📈 India’s Rank and Progress
India’s journey in the GII shows consistent improvement over the past five years:
- 2020: Rank 48
- 2022: Rank 40
- 2023: Rank 40
- 2024: Rank 41 (slight dip)
- 2025: Rank 38 (improvement restored)
The improvement of 10 positions from 2020 to 2025 points to a stronger innovation ecosystem in India. Research and development activity has grown, and knowledge and technology outputs have improved significantly.
💪 India’s Strength Areas
India performs strongly in several parts of the index:
- Knowledge and Technology Outputs (Rank 22): India’s strongest pillar. High performance in patents filed, research publications, and ICT service exports.
- Market Sophistication (Rank 38): Venture capital activity has grown. Financial markets offer more depth for funding startups.
- Human Capital and Research (Top 40): Higher education enrollment has increased. The research workforce has expanded in both public and private institutions.
The data shows that research and ideas turn into concrete outputs — patents, publications, and digital services — at a good rate in India.
⚠️ India’s Weakness Areas
India still faces clear gaps in some pillars:
- Business Sophistication (Rank 64): Global corporate R&D spending from India-based firms remains limited. Links between industry and research institutes can grow further.
- Infrastructure (Rank 61): ICT readiness is uneven across regions. Energy access gaps remain in parts of the country.
- Institutions (Rank 58): Regulatory delays and policy bottlenecks affect the pace of new projects and investments.
Don’t confuse: India’s overall rank (38th) with its pillar-wise ranks. India ranks 22nd in Knowledge & Technology Outputs (strength) but 64th in Business Sophistication (weakness). Exams often test these pillar-level details.
| Pillar | India’s Rank | Assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Knowledge & Technology Outputs | 22 | Very Strong |
| Market Sophistication | 38 | Average / Rising |
| Human Capital & Research | Top 40 | Improving |
| Institutions | 58 | Relatively Weak |
| Infrastructure | 61 | Relatively Weak |
| Business Sophistication | 64 | Relatively Weak |
🌏 Regional & Income-Group Standing
India holds two important leadership positions in GII 2025:
- #1 among Lower-Middle-Income Economies: India outperforms all countries in its income group.
- #1 in Central and Southern Asia: India leads the entire region in innovation performance.
The index notes that India performs above expectations for its GDP level. This means India produces more innovation output than most economies with a similar income per person — a key indicator of efficiency in the innovation ecosystem.
India punches above its weight in innovation relative to its income level. This raises an important question: Is it better to be a top performer in your income group (like India) or to compete with high-income economies (like China at rank 10)? What would it take for India to break into the top 25?
🎯 Why This Matters for India
The higher GII rank reflects India’s shift toward a knowledge-driven economy. Several factors have contributed to this rise:
- Startup Ecosystem: Government policies supporting entrepreneurship and innovation
- Digital Public Infrastructure: UPI, Aadhaar, and other digital platforms
- R&D Investment: Growing public and private sector spending on research
- Higher Education: Increased enrollment and research output from universities
The GII ranking strengthens India’s image as a growing innovation hub in Asia and supports its goal of becoming a developed economy by 2047.
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India ranks 38th in the Global Innovation Index 2025, improving from 48th in 2020.
Switzerland ranks 1st in GII 2025 with a score of 66, maintaining its position as the global innovation leader.
GII is published by WIPO — World Intellectual Property Organization, a UN specialized agency.
India ranks 22nd in Knowledge and Technology Outputs — its strongest pillar covering patents, publications, and ICT exports.
Business Sophistication (64th) is India’s weakest pillar, due to limited corporate R&D and weak industry-academia links.
