Revealed: These Are the Most Innovative Countries in the World, 2025

According to the “World Innovation Index” published by CEOWORLD magazine, the United States ranks 7th in innovation, while China ranks 20th. The index considers factors such as patent applications, global brand value, hi-tech manufacturing, researchers per million population, corporate R&D investors, government R&D spending, university-industry R&D collaboration, knowledge-intensive employment, finance for startups, venture capital received, environmental performance, information and communication technology access, regulatory quality, and policies for doing business. The report emphasizes changes in global innovation leadership, focusing on emerging economies challenging traditional leaders.

The top performer on the index is Singapore, which has made substantial investments in research and development. Small countries can outrank larger ones because indicators are scaled according to a country’s population, GDP, and spending power. The index also considers a country’s adoption, use, and production of technology. The World Innovation Index score is correlated with a country’s GDP per person, so richer countries tend to rank higher. However, some countries, like China and India, outperform their rankings given their level of development.

Most Innovative Countries in the World, 2025

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