Singapore’s innovation environment has once again been recognized among the world’s best, ranking fifth among 139 countries in the 2026 World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Global Innovation Index (GII) – an independent annual assessment of the innovation capabilities and performance of countries. 

Published annually by WIPO, the GII compares the innovation performance of countries worldwide. The 2026 index uses 79 indicators to measure the conditions that support innovation and the results of innovation. 

The 79 indicators are of three types: 1) Quantitative/objective/hard data under which there are 64 indicators, 2) Composite indicators/index data which has 10 indicators, and 3) Survey/qualitative/subjective/soft data with five indicators.

The 2026 result marks Singapore’s fourth consecutive year in the global top five.The other four are Switzerland which retained its number one ranking, followed by Sweden, the United States and South Korea.

Singapore also retained its first-place ranking for Innovation Inputs and remains a global leader in 12 out of the GII’s 79 indicators, up from 10 indicators in 2025. 

Its strong performance in Innovation Inputs reflects the strength and consistency of its business and innovation environment, including areas that businesses value – trusted institutions, access to talent and research capabilities and a well-developed ecosystem in which to invest, develop new ideas and grow. The jurisdiction also compared favourably with other high-income economies and countries in the South East Asia, East Asia and Oceania region. 

Singapore’s strengths also extended to the creation and international flows of intellectual property and knowledge. It ranked within the global top 20 for IP receipts and payments as a share of total trade, and for international patent applications relative to the size of its economy. Taken together, these indicators reflect Singapore’s connectivity to global flows of IP and knowledge – accessing IP from abroad, creating new knowledge here and enabling IP to be used across borders.

According to Tan Kong Hwee, chief executive of the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS), the strong performance of Singapore as reflected in the 2026 GII shows the strength of an environment designed to help businesses innovate and grow. “Innovation is not only about creating new ideas, but also about how knowledge and IP are brought into the economy, developed and translated into value,” he said. “IPOS contributes to this by building a trusted and connected IP ecosystem that helps businesses protect, manage and commercialize their IP and intangible assets. Through the Singapore IP Strategy (SIPS) 2030, we will continue to strengthen this ecosystem, helping businesses bring their ideas to market and grow internationally.”

Regarding funding, prime minister Lawrence Wong revealed that the government has earmarked 1 percent of the GDP annually for research and innovation. Though he stated that investments are significant especially for a country the size of Singapore, he emphasized that funding alone is not enough. “Innovation flourishes when people have the confidence to experiment, take risks and invest for the long term. That requires strong fundamentals. From climate change to public health, the challenges of our time cannot be solved by any one country alone.  We need to bring together different ideas, perspectives and capabilities. So even in a more contested world, we must preserve the space for ideas to flow and for people to collaborate. That is how we will push the frontiers of innovation,” said Wong via a video message at the GII 2026 launch in Geneva.

- Asia IP