India has achieved a significant milestone by rising to the 38th position among 139 economies in the World Intellectual Property Organization’s (WIPO) Global Innovation Index (GII) 2025. This represents a major leap from its 81st rank just a decade ago in 2015, highlighting the country’s accelerating progress in fostering a robust innovation ecosystem.
The GII evaluates economies based on a comprehensive set of around 80 indicators, including R&D spending, venture capital deals, high-tech exports, and intellectual property filings. The improved ranking places India as the top performer in the Central and Southern Asia region and one of the world’s most consistent overachievers in innovation relative to its level of economic development.
While Switzerland leads the overall index, India’s steady climb signals the growing strength of its domestic market, its burgeoning venture capital ecosystem, and its increasing participation in the global IP framework.
The sustained progress in areas like knowledge and technology outputs, where India ranks 22nd, and its leading position in ICT services exports globally, underscores the positive momentum driving India’s innovation-led growth.
