Tehran Advances in Global Innovation Index Despite Overall Drop
TEHRAN – The Islamic Republic of Iran has shown significant improvements in certain categories of the 2024 Global Innovation Index (GII), despite a slight decline in its overall global ranking. According to the report released by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Iran has enhanced its positions in knowledge and technology output, moving from 55th to 49th, and in business sophistication, improving from 117th to 110th.
The country also saw gains in market sophistication and infrastructure, with rankings rising from 19th to 17th and 97th to 95th, respectively. However, not all areas reflected growth; Iran's rankings in creative output, human research, and capital, as well as institutions, have declined since last year.
Globally, Iran maintains its second position among Central and Southern Asian countries, unchanged from the previous two years, with India and Kazakhstan ranking first and third. Within the lower-middle-income group, Iran has moved up to 5th from its previous 6th position.
Despite these advancements, Iran's overall standing in the GII has slipped from 62nd to 64th out of 133 economies. The report highlights a disparity in Iran's innovation performance, scoring better in outputs (48) than in inputs (85).
Switzerland continues to lead the GII 2024, securing the top spot for the 14th consecutive year, followed by Sweden and the U.S. The GII also ranks Tehran as the 38th largest science and technology cluster globally, a slight decrease from last year's 35th position.
Iran excels in several specific metrics, ranking first in market capitalization and trademarks by origin, and showing strong performances in software spending, gross capital formation, and the number of graduates in science and engineering. However, challenges persist in areas like institutions, where it ranks lowest.
The GII, published annually by WIPO, evaluates economies on their innovation capabilities, providing a comprehensive analysis that aids in understanding global innovation trends and policy implications.