Sweden, Finland and Denmark are among the world’s top ten most innovative economies in 2025, according to the latest Global Innovation Index published by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
Sweden takes second place, while Finland is ranked seventh and Denmark ninth. The index highlights the Nordic region’s strong global position in research, technology and innovative capacity.
Asia is also prominently represented in the top tier. South Korea ranks fourth, Singapore fifth, and China tenth, reflecting the region’s growing importance as a global innovation hub.
The Global Innovation Index evaluates nearly 140 economies based on 80 indicators, including R&D spending, venture capital investment, high-tech exports and intellectual property filings.
While Nordic countries score highly overall, they are absent from the top ten list of innovation clusters – innovation-driven cities and regions that combine universities, research institutes, inventors, investors and R&D companies. Here, Asia and the United States dominate. The Shenzhen–Hong Kong–Guangzhou cluster tops the list, followed by Tokyo–Yokohama and San Jose–San Francisco. Stockholm is the highest-ranking Nordic cluster at number 32.
Source: WIPO
