The 19th edition of the Global Innovation Index ranks the most innovative economies in the world in 2026 amongst 139 economies and reveals where innovation clusters are located. For the 16th consecutive year, Switzerland is the most innovative economy in 2026 followed by Sweden and the United States.
This year, the report also shows how deep science startups can turn their scientific discoveries into scalable industries with their intellectual property.
Global Innovation Index Ranking 2026
This year, the ten most innovative economies in the world are:
Top Innovation Clusters in the world in 2026
Every year, the Global Innovation Index ranks the world’s top innovation hubs with a high density of inventors, scientific authors and/or venture capital activity.
In 2026, the top ten innovation clusters in the world are:
Video: Top 10 Innovation Clusters 2026
Global Innovation Tracker 2026
The Global Innovation Tracker reveals global technology trends across all four stages of the innovation cycle:
This year, the Global Innovation Tracker shows that innovation is still progressing, but at a slower pace than before. It also reveals that AI companies now attract more than half of all venture capital investment, making them the dominant force in the global innovation economy.
How to power deep science entrepreneurship
Deep science entrepreneurship refers to the process of building ventures directly from significant scientific discoveries emerging from fundamental research in physics, chemistry, biology and mathematics to solve massive global societal problems.
There are several ways by which deep science venture can scale up. They can use their IP to raise capital and by carefully structuring ownership of their discoveries, deep science startups can open doors to partnerships, licensing deals and acquisitions that help them grow faster than on their own.
By the end of 2025, it is estimated that 30,000 deep science ventures were funded since 2000.
Find out more about how to turn deep science pilots into pipelines.
This year's GII theme, 'Powering Entrepreneurs at the Frontier of Science', draws on contributions from leading experts across academia, industry, and government, representing institutions from around the world.
Xiaonan Luo (Lead author)
Yi Xu, Shaoteng Ren (Co-authors), Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited (CATL)
Early-stage intellectual property practices and R&D empowerment the CATL case [PDF]
Linn Kretzschmar, CERN
Han Dols, CERN
Venture-based technology transfer at large research organizations: the case of CERN Venture Connect [PDF]
Lygia V. Pereira, PhD, Professor at the University of São Paulo (USP) and CEO of gen-t
João Antonio Lopes Filho, CEO of Banco Fator
Brazil’s deep-science promise: from scientific creation to scalable ventures [PDF]
Raghupathy Sivakumar, Chief Commercialization Officer at Georgia Tech
Ángel Cabrera, President of Georgia Tech
Disrupting the disruptors: Rebooting academia’s commercialization playbook [PDF]
Gopichand Katragadda, Myelin Foundry, Bengaluru, India
The industrial alchemy of science-based entrepreneurship: a comprehensive analysis of the Indian innovation ecosystem [PDF]
Dr. Mohammed R. AlShareef, Research Development and Innovation Authority, Saudi Arabia
Dr. Khalid Alhussaini, King Saud University, Saudi Arabia
Ms. Afnan A. Ababtain, Ministry of Investment (MISA), Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Building a national ecosystem for frontier innovation and deep-science commercialization [PDF]
Tan Chorh Chuan, Former Permanent Secretary of National Research and Development,
and Chairman of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)
Nurturing a global hub for deep-science startups – Singapore [PDF]
Fengtao Han, Founder and CEO, Spirit-AI
Junliang Guo, Head of Foundation Models, Spirit-AI
Spirit-AI: science-driven entrepreneurship in embodied AI [PDF]
Dealroom-WIPO Deep Science Startup Tracker
A global mapping of deep science startups.
Contributors to the Global Innovation Index 2026
A paragraph is a self-contained unit of a discourse in writing dealing with a particular point or idea. Paragraphs are usually an expected part of formal writing, used to organize longer prose.
Xiaonan Luo (Lead author)
Yi Xu, Shaoteng Ren (Co-authors), Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited (CATL)
Early-stage intellectual property practices and R&D empowerment the CATL case [PDF]
Linn Kretzschmar, CERN
Han Dols, CERN
Venture-based technology transfer at large research organizations: the case of CERN Venture Connect [PDF]
Lygia V. Pereira, PhD, Professor at the University of São Paulo (USP) and CEO of gen-t
João Antonio Lopes Filho, CEO of Banco Fator
Brazil’s deep-science promise: from scientific creation to scalable ventures [PDF]
Raghupathy Sivakumar, Chief Commercialization Officer at Georgia Tech
Ángel Cabrera, President of Georgia Tech
Disrupting the disruptors: Rebooting academia’s commercialization playbook [PDF]
Gopichand Katragadda, Myelin Foundry, Bengaluru, India
The industrial alchemy of science-based entrepreneurship: a comprehensive analysis of the Indian innovation ecosystem [PDF]
Dr. Mohammed R. AlShareef, Research Development and Innovation Authority, Saudi Arabia
Dr. Khalid Alhussaini, King Saud University, Saudi Arabia
Ms. Afnan A. Ababtain, Ministry of Investment (MISA), Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Building a national ecosystem for frontier innovation and deep-science commercialization [PDF]
Tan Chorh Chuan, Former Permanent Secretary of National Research and Development,
and Chairman of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)
Nurturing a global hub for deep-science startups – Singapore [PDF]
Fengtao Han, Founder and CEO, Spirit-AI
Junliang Guo, Head of Foundation Models, Spirit-AI
Spirit-AI: science-driven entrepreneurship in embodied AI [PDF]
About the Global Innovation Index
Since 2007, the GII has established itself as the world's leading reference for measuring innovation. Member States use it to benchmark their innovation performance and inform their national strategies to strengthen their innovation ecosystems. The United Nations itself relies on it as a key reference for shaping science and technology policies around the globe.
Past editions of the Global Innovation Index
GII 2025 – Innovation at a Crossroads
The GII 2025 reveals innovation systems at a crossroads, where breakthrough technologies in AI and quantum computing advance rapidly while investment growth slows and collaborative models evolve to address global challenges.
GII 2024 – Unlocking the promise of social entrepreneurship
The GII 2024 reveals who is leading globally in innovation, ranking the innovation performance of 133 economies and highlighting their strengths and weaknesses.
GII 2023 – Innovation in the face of uncertainty
The GII 2023 takes the pulse of global innovation trends against the background of an economic environment fraught with uncertainty.
GII 2022 – What is the future of innovation-driven growth?
The GII 2022 tracks the most recent global innovation trends against the background of an ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, slowing productivity growth and other evolving challenges.