WIPO Global Innovation Index 2026: Switzerland, Sweden, US, Republic of Korea and Singapore Top Ranking; AI Reshaping Innovation Investments as Deep Science Startups Top $7.6 Trillion

Artificial intelligence is driving a rebound in venture capital (VC) funding and research and development (R&D) spending, while emerging economies continue to show innovation growth alongside traditional innovation leaders, according to WIPO’s Global Innovation Index 2026.

Switzerland, Sweden, the United States of America (US), the Republic of Korea and Singapore continue to lead the global innovation rankings in 2026. At the same time, China, India, Viet Nam, Türkiye, the Philippines, Morocco and Indonesia (in order of ranking) have been climbing up the ranks quickly over the past decade, with Brazil, Mauritius, Saudi Arabia and Qatar also on upward trajectories.

The WIPO GII uses some 80 indicators - from R&D, to high-tech trade, skilled employment and the licensing of intellectual property - in evaluating close to 140 economies on their innovation performance. It is the world's benchmark resource for policymakers, business leaders and others seeking to understand what is driving innovation in different economies.

According to GII 2026 estimates, global R&D expenditure grew by more than 3.3% in 2025 in real terms and it will expand by 3.6% in 2026 to $3.4 trillion. This growth in R&D spending is increasingly found in middle-income economies such as Egypt, Indonesia, Malaysia and Viet Nam. Corporate R&D grew at 5.8% in real terms in 2025 to $1.5 trillion, the highest on record, driven by software and AI companies as well as defense-related R&D.

The value of venture capital (VC) funding behind new innovative startups and business ideas grew 28% to $510 billion in 2025 - the strongest annual gain since 2021. But investment is increasingly concentrated, with AI accounting for 53% of global VC deal value (and 77% in the first half of 2026) even as the number of VC deals fell for a fourth consecutive year. VC activity is nonetheless spreading geographically: African startups raised about $3.2 billion in 2025, up 40% year-on-year.