Pakistan has improved its position in the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2026, climbing four places to 95th among 139 economies and reclaiming its status as an innovation “overperformer,” according to a report published by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
The country moved up from 99th place in 2025, marking its fourth time being recognized as an overperformer. The designation is given to economies that achieve stronger innovation results than expected for their level of economic development. Pakistan also held the status in 2022 and 2024.
Pakistan Performs Better in Innovation Outputs
Pakistan performed better in innovation outputs than inputs in the 2026 index, ranking 72nd in outputs and 121st in inputs. Both rankings improved from the previous year.
“Innovation overperformance shows that innovation does not follow a straight line from income to results,” the report said, adding that economies can generate more innovation than expected by building on focused strengths.
WIPO identified Pakistan’s strengths in the digital economy, including mobile app creation, ICT services exports, high-tech imports, and software spending. The report also cited the country’s relatively strong scientific production and university quality as factors supporting its developing digital economy.
Pakistan ranked 15th among 36 lower-middle-income economies and eighth among 11 economies in Central and Southern Asia. However, it did not feature among the leading countries in any individual innovation pillar, including human capital and research, infrastructure, and other categories.
Pakistan’s Innovation Ranking Improves Over Time
Pakistan’s GII ranking has fluctuated over the past seven years, according to the report.
The country ranked 107th in 2020, 99th in 2021, 87th in 2022, 88th in 2023, 91st in 2024, and 99th in 2025 before improving to 95th in 2026.
Switzerland, Sweden, and the United States retained the top three positions in the 2026 index, with Switzerland ranking first for the 16th consecutive year.
WIPO said the rankings at the top remained largely stable, with no new economy entering the top 15 since 2025. Europe accounted for 14 of the 25 leading innovation economies. The Netherlands moved up to seventh place, while Austria climbed to 18th.
Five Asian economies also ranked among the top 25. South Korea and Singapore placed fourth and fifth, respectively, while China remained at 10th, Japan ranked 12th, and Hong Kong, China, placed 14th.
The report described the presence of Asian economies among the leading innovators as an established feature of the rankings.
Global Innovation Progress Slows
WIPO’s 2026 Innovation Tracker pointed to continued but slower progress across the innovation cycle. Most indicators advanced, with gains in scientific output, corporate research and development, battery costs, and technology adoption. However, around three-quarters of indicators remained below their decade-long averages.
Global research and development intensity remained near a historic high of 2 percent of GDP.
The report also warned that the near-term economic environment had become more challenging. Global growth of around 3.4 percent in 2025 was expected to slow to approximately 3 percent in 2026, weighed down by higher energy prices and uncertainty, before recovering modestly in 2027.
Artificial intelligence-related investment remained a key source of potential growth, with major technology companies expected to spend more than $1 trillion on AI infrastructure across 2025 and 2026.
However, WIPO cautioned that a downward revision in expected AI returns could tighten financing conditions beyond the technology sector, as investment increasingly relies on debt and private credit.
The report said emerging economies, including Pakistan, could improve their overall innovation performance by building on their existing strengths.
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