A view of the Marina Bay Sands and the ArtScience Museum in Singapore. Photo by Unsplash
Singapore has been ranked fifth among 139 economies in the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2025, marking the third consecutive year it has remained in the top five.
It also secured 2nd place in the Southeast Asia, East Asia and Oceania (SEAO) region, following South Korea, which ranks 4th globally.
For the second year running, Singapore recorded the highest number of top-ranked indicators, leading 10 out of 78 GII indicators. The GII, published annually by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), assesses economies based on innovation inputs such as institutions, human capital, infrastructure, market and business sophistication; and innovation outputs, including knowledge, technology, and creative products.
Singapore retained its top position in innovation inputs for the 15th consecutive year, ranking first in institutions, second in human capital and research, and third in business sophistication. Key strengths include government effectiveness, policy stability, and net FDI inflows.
Notably, Singapore rose two places to 9th in innovation outputs, its highest in over a decade. It climbed to seventh in knowledge and technology outputs and 15th in creative outputs, driven by advances in high-tech manufacturing, unicorn valuation, cultural and creative exports, as well as stronger intangible assets and brand value.
This year’s GII tracked innovation performance across 139 economies using 78 indicators from international public and private sources.
Switzerland tops the ranking, followed by Sweden and the United States. The top 10 also includes the United Kingdom at 6th, Finland, Netherlands, Denmark and China, which breaks into the top 10 for the first time.