News
WIPO ranks Switzerland as the world’s most innovative country once again
Michaela Mersetzky, Switzerland Global Enterprise
Sep 29, 2026
In the latest edition of the Global Innovation Index covering the 139 most innovative economies in the world, Switzerland has once again secured top spot. Across the previous two years, the country has recorded improvements in seven indicators, while three indicators have deteriorated. Above all, the number of investment rounds has fallen by 19.1 percent.
Switzerland again ranks as the most innovative economy in the world. The Geneva-based World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), an agency of the United Nations, reached this conclusion for the seventh successive occasion as part of its Global Innovation Index 2026.
In terms of the top 20, the order has remained largely unchanged versus the previous year. Sweden is ranked in second place ahead of the USA, South Korea, Singapore and the UK. The Netherlands (7) and Finland (8) have traded places, while as before Denmark and China remain in 9th and 10th place respectively. In a repeat of last year, Germany and France and ranked in 11th and 13th place, while Austria (18) has swapped with Ireland (19).
These rankings incorporate around 80 indicators, including research and development (R&D) spending, venture capital deals, high-tech exports and patent applications. The index is intended to serve as a reference for policymakers, business leaders and other stakeholders when it comes to promoting innovation. Globally, investment in innovative start-ups and business concepts was up by 28 percent to 510 billion US dollars in 2025, reflecting the sharpest growth recorded since 2021.
At the same time, the total number of venture capital financing deals declined, although there is a broader spread geographically speaking. For example, African start-ups raised a total of 3.2 billion US dollars, which represents an increase of 40 percent on the prior year.
Switzerland has improved across seven short-term indicators: the number of scientific publications has risen by 0.8 percent since 2024 (+2.9 percent since 2015), R&D investment is up by 1.3 percent since 2023, while fixed broadband coverage has improved by 1 percent as well. Increases have also been recorded in relation to productivity (+1.8 percent) and life expectancy (+0.3 percent). With growth of 5.9 percent since 2023 (+10.8 percent since 2014), the improvement has been particularly pronounced in robotics and, above all, in electric vehicles, where growth of 25 percent since 2024 and 43.2 percent since 2015 has been recorded.
However, at -6.2 percent year on year, the number of patent applications developed negatively. Across the same period, the number of investment rounds fell particularly sharply, with a decline of 19.1 percent registered here.
