Riyadh – Sharikat Mubasher: Saudi Arabia ranked 42nd globally in the 2026 Global Innovation Index (GII), moving up among the world’s leading innovation economies, according to the latest report by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
The Kingdom ranked fourth in the Northern Africa and Western Asia region and was second among Arab economies after the UAE, which placed 25th globally. Qatar ranked 47th, followed by Morocco at 54th, Jordan at 60th, Kuwait at 62nd, Bahrain at 64th and Oman at 69th.
The GII ranks 139 economies using 79 indicators covering innovation inputs, including institutions, human capital and research, infrastructure, market sophistication and business sophistication, as well as innovation outputs covering knowledge and technology and creative outputs.
Saudi Arabia ranked 30th globally in innovation inputs and 62nd in innovation outputs. WIPO highlighted the Kingdom’s strong digital performance, with Saudi Arabia ranking first globally in ICT use, while Riyadh entered the global top 100 innovation clusters at 92nd.
The Kingdom has also strengthened its innovation ecosystem, with Riyadh entering WIPO’s global top 100 innovation clusters for the first time at 92nd place in 2026. WIPO linked the development to a growing concentration of science, technology and venture capital activity in the capital.
WIPO also identified Saudi Arabia among the economies recording strong sustained advances since 2019, alongside Qatar, Mauritius, Brazil, Jordan and Bahrain.
