SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure | SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals
Institutions: NITI Aayog
The Global Innovation Index (GII) 2025, published by World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), ranks 139 economies on innovation inputs, outputs, and efficiency.
India remains the top regional performer, advancing one rank and leading the lower middle-income group since 2022. India stands out for its ICT services exports, a vibrant VC landscape, late-stage VC and startup financing, unicorns and intangible assets - reflecting tech-driven growth. India is ranked 38th overall and continues to lead the lower-middle income group, ahead of Vietnam and the Philippines.
Switzerland, Sweden, and the United States occupy the global top three positions, while China remains the highest-ranked upper-middle income economy.
The report highlights that global R&D growth has slowed to 2.3% in 2025, the weakest pace in over a decade. Venture capital (VC) activity shows divergence: the value of deals grew by 7.7%, while the number of deals declined by 4%, reflecting concentration in large transactions. India is featured among the top 100 global innovation clusters, with Bengaluru, Delhi, Mumbai, and Chennai ranked, underscoring its emerging role in global innovation geography.
India also stands out as one of the middle-income economies, alongside China and Mexico, that outperforms in innovation efficiency - producing stronger outputs relative to inputs than expected.
For India, the GII 2025 confirms its position as a rising innovation hub but flags the challenge of sustaining momentum amid slowing global R&D. Policymakers may need to strengthen financing ecosystems and deepen R&D investment to ensure that cluster-level success translates into long-term national competitiveness.
Follow the full news here: https://www.wipo.int/web-publications/global-innovation-index-2025/assets/80937/global-innovation-index-2025-en.pdf