Global innovation rankings: Switzerland tops, Chad ranks last
According to the World Intellectual Property Organization’s (WIPO) Global Innovation Index 2026, Switzerland retained the top position for the 16th consecutive year, followed by Sweden and the United States.
Switzerland, Sweden, the United States, the Republic of Korea and Singapore are the five highest-ranked economies in the 2026 Global Innovation Index (GII), while Burundi, Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Niger and Chad occupy the five lowest positions.
According to the World Intellectual Property Organization's (WIPO) Global Innovation Index 2026, Switzerland retained the top position for the 16th consecutive year, followed by Sweden and the United States. The Republic of Korea ranked fourth and Singapore fifth. At the other end of the 139-economy ranking, Burundi placed 135th, Angola 136th, the Democratic Republic of the Congo 137th, Niger 138th and Chad 139th.
The five leading innovation economies
1. Switzerland
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Switzerland retained its position as the world's leading innovation economy for the 16th consecutive year. WIPO ranks it second in innovation inputs and first in innovation outputs.
2. Sweden
Sweden remained in second place. It is among the economies that combine high levels of innovation inputs and outputs, alongside Switzerland, the United States, the Republic of Korea and the United Kingdom.
3. United States
The United States retained third place globally. It remains one of the world's leading innovation economies, with particularly strong performance in areas including research, business and technology.
4. Republic of Korea
The Republic of Korea consolidated fourth place. WIPO highlights its strength in business-performed research and development, researchers employed by business and PCT patents by inventor origin. It ranks second globally in overall R&D expenditure.
5. Singapore
Singapore ranked fifth globally and recorded the strongest overall performance in innovation inputs, ranking first in the inputs sub-index.
Economies at the lower end of the ranking
135. Burundi
Burundi ranked 135th overall and 27th among the 31 Sub-Saharan African economies included in the index.
WIPO points to the country's youthful population as one of the region's potential innovation assets. Burundi ranks fifth globally for its youth demographic profile.
136. Angola
Angola placed 136th globally and 28th in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The country ranks 13th globally for gross capital formation, which WIPO identifies as one of several areas of potential strength within Sub-Saharan Africa.
137. Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo ranked 137th globally and 29th in Sub-Saharan Africa.
WIPO noted that the Democratic Republic of the Congo's inclusion in the GII reflects improved innovation-data collection. It also ranks fourth globally for its youthful demographic profile, which the organisation identifies as a potential long-term innovation asset.
138. Niger
Niger ranked 138th globally and 30th among Sub-Saharan African economies.
Despite its low overall ranking, WIPO identifies its youthful population as a potential strength, with Niger ranking first globally for its youth demographic profile.
139. Chad
Chad ranked 139th, making it the lowest-ranked economy among the 139 economies assessed in the 2026 GII. It also ranked 31st among Sub-Saharan African economies.
WIPO said Chad's inclusion in the 2026 GII reflects improved innovation-data collection. The country ranks 30th globally for gross capital formation, another indicator identified by WIPO among potential innovation assets in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Bangladesh ranks 105th
Bangladesh ranked 105th out of 139 economies in the 2026 Global Innovation Index, placing it last among the six South Asian economies included in the index, after Nepal moved up to 104th. Bangladesh scored 21.5 out of 100, while India ranked highest in South Asia at 38th with a score of 40.1. Bhutan ranked 74th, Sri Lanka 94th and Pakistan 95th.
Bangladesh performed better in innovation outputs than inputs, ranking 92nd in outputs and 115th in inputs. Among the input pillars, it performed strongest in infrastructure, at 84th, followed by market sophistication at 98th. Its weakest areas were human capital and research, where it ranked 127th, business sophistication at 125th and institutions at 113th. In the output pillars, Bangladesh ranked 95th in knowledge and technology outputs and 87th in creative outputs.
Khondaker Golam Moazzem, president of the Knowledge Hub Institute, said Bangladesh needs to first establish the systems required for innovation, including knowledge, human resources, infrastructure, energy, institutions and incentives. "Instead of trying to create entirely new innovations immediately, Bangladesh should first prototype and adapt innovations developed elsewhere, redesign them for local needs and then develop new value-added ideas," he told The Business Standard.
A wider picture
The gap between the leaders and the lowest-ranked economies is not simply a measure of technological capacity. WIPO's index assesses a broad range of innovation inputs and outputs, while its analysis also highlights areas where lower-ranked economies possess potential strengths.
The organisation said innovation activity remains concentrated among leading economies, but also noted that several developing economies are making progress by building strengths in areas such as education, digital services, finance, research and development and intellectual property.
The 2026 GII rankings primarily reflect data from 2024 to 2026, accounting for more than 80% of the index's data points. WIPO cautions that year-on-year comparisons should take changes to the GII model and data availability into account.
