Global Innovation Index 2026: India Ranks 38th

India ranked 38th among 139 economies in the Global Innovation Index 2026 released by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

Why in the News?

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has released the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2026, which evaluates innovation performance across 139 economies.
The index also identifies the world’s leading innovation clusters and examines major global trends in science and technology.

First published in 2007, the GII is a major global reference for assessing innovation and is used to support science and technology policymaking.
It uses around 80 indicators, grouped into two equally weighted components:
- Innovation Input: Measures factors that support innovation, including human capital, infrastructure, institutions and investment.
- Innovation Output: Measures the results of innovation, including knowledge and technological achievements.
The overall GII score is calculated from the average of the input and output scores.

Switzerland retained the top position for the 16th consecutive year, followed by Sweden and the United States.
South Korea, Singapore and China ranked 4th, 5th and 10th, respectively.
Europe remained the leading region, with 14 of the 25 leading economies.

India ranked 38th among 139 economies.
It ranked 1st among 36 lower-middle-income economies and also topped the Central and Southern Asia region.
India performed better in innovation outputs (25th) than inputs (49th).
India ranked 1st globally in ICT services exports, 4th in late-stage venture capital deals and 13th in intangible asset intensity.
Bengaluru and Delhi ranked 25th and 27th, respectively, among the world's top 100 innovation clusters.

Innovation clusters are identified based on the concentration of patent inventors, scientific authors and venture capital activity, rather than administrative boundaries.
The top three clusters were Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou, Tokyo-Yokohama and San Jose-San Francisco.

UNCTAD’s Readiness for Frontier Technologies Index assesses ICT deployment, skills, R&D, industrial capacity and access to finance.
India ranked 36th in 2024, improving from 48th in 2022.
India performed particularly strongly in R&D and industrial capacity.
Frontier technologies include Artificial Intelligence, blockchain, Internet of Things and Virtual Reality.

WIPO is a specialized agency of the United Nations headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.
It was established under the WIPO Convention, 1967.
India became a member of WIPO in 1975.
WIPO currently has 193 member states.
Its main objective is to develop a balanced and effective international intellectual property (IP) system that promotes innovation and creativity.
It provides a platform where governments, international organisations, industries and civil society discuss and develop international IP rules.
Its major functions include:
- Developing international IP policies and standards.
- Providing global systems for registering and protecting IP.
- Facilitating the resolution of international IP disputes.
- Supporting cooperation among national IP systems.
- Providing information and databases related to intellectual property.
World Intellectual Property Day is observed every year on 26 April.

Intellectual Property refers to original creations of the human mind, including inventions, literary and artistic works, designs and technological innovations.
IPR provide legal protection to such creations and encourage innovation, creativity and investment.

About United Nations Conference on Trade and Development

Established: 1964 by the UN General Assembly as a permanent intergovernmental body.
Purpose: Promotes fairer integration of developing countries into the global economy.
Functions: Provides economic analysis, policy support, consensus-building and technical assistance in trade, investment, finance and technology.
Status: Part of the UN Secretariat; reports to the UNGA and ECOSOC.
Members: 195, including India.
HQ: Geneva, Switzerland.
Key Reports: Trade and Development Report, World Investment Report, and Least Developed Countries Report.

Practice Question

Q. With reference to the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2026 and related institutions, consider the following statements:

India ranks higher in innovation outputs than in innovation inputs in the GII 2026.
WIPO was established under the WIPO Convention in 1967 and is headquartered in Geneva.
UNCTAD is an independent specialised agency of the United Nations, separate from the UN Secretariat.
The top three innovation clusters in GII 2026 are Shenzhen–Hong Kong–Guangzhou, Tokyo–Yokohama and San Jose–San Francisco.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

(a) 1, 2 and 4 only
(b) 1 and 3 only
(c) 2, 3 and 4 only
(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

Answer: (a) 1, 2 and 4 only

Statement 1 is correct. India ranks 25th in innovation outputs and 49th in innovation inputs in GII 2026. Hence, its output performance is stronger than its input performance.
Statement 2 is correct. WIPO was established under the WIPO Convention, 1967, and its headquarters is located in Geneva, Switzerland.
Statement 3 is incorrect. UNCTAD is part of the UN Secretariat, rather than an independent specialised agency of the United Nations. Hence, Statement 3 is incorrect.
Statement 4 is correct. The three leading innovation clusters in GII 2026 are Shenzhen–Hong Kong–Guangzhou, Tokyo–Yokohama, and San Jose–San Francisco.