Published on: 2026-09-29
Source: United Nations – United Nations –
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September 29, 2026 Economic Development
The global innovation economy is entering a new phase: artificial intelligence is becoming a key growth factor, reshaping investment flows and accelerating the transformation of scientific ideas into commercial technologies. This is evidenced by the new Global Innovation Index of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), which records both the sustained leadership of developed economies and the rapid rise of new technological hubs.
The Global Innovation Index remains a key tool for understanding how the global technological economy is developing. It shows the directions of investment flows, identifies new centers of scientific growth, and records the emergence of industries that seemed like science fiction just yesterday. The year 2026 became the year when innovation ceased to be the privilege of wealthy countries: artificial intelligence and deep science are opening the way to technological development for a wide range of economies.
Old leaders and new players
Switzerland, Sweden, the USA, the Republic of Korea, and Singapore once again top the global ranking, confirming the resilience of their innovation ecosystems. They are confidently joined by economies that were far from the top just ten years ago: China, India, Vietnam, Turkey, the Philippines, Morocco, and Indonesia are demonstrating impressive progress, while Brazil, Mauritius, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar continue to strengthen their positions.
In 2026, 21 economies showed results above those expected for their level of development. Among them, the majority are low- and middle-income countries. India and Vietnam have maintained their status as engines of progress in this area for 16 consecutive years. Africa is becoming a new center of innovative growth: seven such economies are located here, including South Africa, which has remained in the group for the ninth consecutive year.
Record investments in research and development
Global spending on research and development grew by more than three percent in 2025 and will increase by another 3.6 percent this year, reaching 3.4 trillion dollars. The contribution of middle-income countries – Egypt, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Vietnam – which are actively expanding their science budgets, is becoming increasingly noticeable.
Private corporate investments in research and development reached a historic high: growth was 5.8 percent, and the total amount was $1.5 trillion. The main drivers of progress were companies operating in the fields of software, artificial intelligence, and defense technologies.
Venture market: growth in value with a decrease in the number of deals
Venture investments in 2025 grew by 28 percent, reaching 510 billion dollars, marking the best figure in the last five years. However, the number of deals continues to decline, and capital is concentrated around projects related to artificial intelligence. In 2025, AI accounted for more than half of the global value of venture deals, and in the first half of 2026 its share reached 77 percent.
Despite ongoing concentration in several regions, the geography of venture capital is expanding. African startups raised about $3.2 billion, which is 40 percent more than the previous year.
Deep-science startups: a new industrial revolution
A separate chapter of the report is dedicated to the phenomenon of deep-science – startups that transform fundamental scientific research into new industries. Since 2000, more than 30,000 such companies have emerged, nearly ten times the number in 2010. Their combined value has reached $7.6 trillion, increasing by 23 percent over the year.
The leader in the number of deep-science companies remains the United States, with over 12 thousand such firms registered. They are followed by China and the United Kingdom. However, the fastest growth is observed in Central and South Asia, Latin America, and Africa. Among middle-income countries, Turkey, India, Malaysia, Brazil, and South Africa stand out.
Despite rapid development, many startups face predictable difficulties: the transition from laboratory research to proof of concept and from pilot projects to commercial scaling remains the most challenging stage.
AI opens new horizons in science
The head of the World Intellectual Property Organization, Daren Tang, emphasized that artificial intelligence is becoming a universal accelerator of scientific progress. He noted that the new generation of deep-science startups is turning scientific breakthroughs into real products and transforming fields such as biotechnology, space, robotics, and clean energy. According to him, the Global Innovation Index should help countries create ecosystems where ideas are turned into real economic and social impact.
Post-Soviet countries
Among the post-Soviet countries in the ranking of the most innovative economies in the world, Estonia leads — it holds 17th place out of 139. Lithuania is 32nd, Latvia is 40th.
Russia ranks 58th, Ukraine 67th, Belarus 88th.
Georgia is in 57th place, Armenia in 59th, Moldova in 68th, Kazakhstan in 73rd, Uzbekistan in 77th, Azerbaijan in 85th, Kyrgyzstan in 92nd, Tajikistan in 112th. There is no data on Turkmenistan.
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