Switzerland once again crowned world champion of innovation
Although global R&D investment is cooling, Switzerland remains a hotspot for innovation.
Switzerland has claimed top spot in the Global Innovation Index for the 15th consecutive year. In its 2025 report, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) assessed the capacity for innovation of 139 countries. The podium remains unchanged from last year, with Switzerland ahead of Sweden and the United States. Meanwhile, China has broken into the top 10 for the first time.
Standing out in creative outputs
WIPO bases its ranking on around 80 indicators spanning research and development, venture capital, high-tech exports and intellectual property applications. Switzerland particularly excels in creative outputs, which cover both tangible and intangible results of innovation such as intellectual property, creative goods and services and other forms of creative activity. The country also secured a top-five position in most other categories. Only in human capital and research has it slipped slightly, falling to sixth place.
Highest number of new software code per capita
A closer look at the data reveals that Switzerland leads the world in GitHub commits per capita, as well as in access to information and communication technologies, intellectual property revenues and the number of top-level domains. These benchmarks highlight a deep digital competence, strong infrastructure and high added value from intellectual property rights. Switzerland also ranks second in the entertainment and media market, government effectiveness, high-tech manufacturing and in collaboration between universities and industry. Taken together, these strengths underpin the country’s enduring leadership in the Global Innovation Index.
Slowdown in R&D investment despite sectoral gains
The 2025 report also highlights a slowdown in global R&D investment. Growth fell from 4.4 per cent last year to 2.9 per cent — the lowest rate since the financial crisis of 2010. After adjusting for inflation, company expenditure increased by just one per cent overall. However, firms in fast-moving fields such as artificial intelligence, software and pharmaceuticals continued to increase their spending, defying the wider trend observed among industrial corporations.
While we see encouraging signs of recovery in areas such as innovation uptake and impact, the global innovation engine is not firing on all cylinders.
Zurich in the world's top innovation clusters
WIPO’s study also maps innovation clusters worldwide. Zurich ranks 40th on the 2025 list, reflecting Switzerland’s presence in the global tech landscape beyond its national performance. The top three rankings are dominated by the Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou cluster, followed by Tokyo and San Francisco, which illustrates the growing importance of Asian and North American hubs in the global innovation ecosystem.