Global Innovation Index 2025: India Ranks 38th of 139 Economies
Why in the news
The World Intellectual Property Organization’s Global Innovation Index 2025 placed India 38th, continuing its climb over recent years.
Key facts
- India: 38th of 139 economies (score 38.2), against 39th in 2024 (38.3) and 48th in 2020.
- India ranks first among lower-middle-income economies and in Central and Southern Asia.
- Best pillars for India: Knowledge and Technology Outputs (22nd) and Market Sophistication (38th).
- Weaker areas: Business Sophistication (64th), Infrastructure (61st) and Institutions (58th).
- China made a historic entry into the top 10, at 10th.
| Rank | Economy | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Switzerland | 66.0 |
| 2 | Sweden | 62.6 |
| 3 | United States | 61.7 |
| 4 | South Korea | 60.0 |
| 5 | Singapore | 59.9 |
About the Global Innovation Index
The GII was introduced in 2007 and is published every year by WIPO, a UN agency. The UN General Assembly recognises it as an authoritative reference for science, technology and innovation policy. The 2025 edition covers 139 economies, about 93.6% of the world’s population.
Top innovation clusters: Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou ranks first and Tokyo-Yokohama second.
Exam angle
- Publisher: WIPO. India’s rank: 38.
- Top-ranked economy: Switzerland.
- India’s rank trend: 48 (2020), 39 (2024), 38 (2025).
- Indexes and reports are a fixed section in most competitive exams.