Vietnam ranks 44th in global innovation index

The GII, which includes around 80 indicators divided into innovation inputs and outputs, evaluates the multidimensional aspects of innovation and ranks countries based on their innovation capabilities.

Vietnam continues to perform better in innovation outputs than in innovation inputs.

This year, it ranks 50th in innovation inputs, three places higher than last year.

Innovation inputs are measured across five pillars: institutions, human capital and research, infrastructure, market sophistication, and business sophistication.

In contrast, the country stands 37th in innovation outputs, which include knowledge and technology outputs and creative outputs, one position lower than in 2024.

With an overall score of 37.1 this year, Vietnam maintains the same ranking it achieved last year.

It ranks ninth among the 17 economies in Southeast Asia, East Asia, and Oceania, and second among 37 lower-middle-income economies.

Within ASEAN, Vietnam surpasses Thailand, which is ranked 45th, placing it third behind Singapore in fifth place and Malaysia in 34th.

Among the lower-middle-income countries, Vietnam remains second only to India, which holds the 38th position.

The report highlights three indicators in which Vietnam continues to rank first globally this year: high-tech imports, high-tech exports, and exports of creative goods.

The country also places in the world’s top ten in several other areas, including labor productivity growth (fourth), number of smartphone applications created (seventh), and business expenditure on research and development as a share of total R&D spending (eighth).

WIPO recognizes Vietnam as one of nine middle-income countries that have consistently improved their Irankings since 2013, alongside China, India, Turkey, the Philippines, Indonesia, Iran, Morocco, and Albania.

Together with India, Vietnam has continually achieved innovation outcomes that exceed expectations for its level of development over the past 15 years.

This, according to WIPO, reflects Vietnam’s efficiency in converting resources into measurable innovation results.

Vietnam is also among the top three countries with the fastest labor productivity growth between 2014 and 2024, alongside China and Ethiopia.

Despite these achievements, Vietnam still faces challenges in several low-ranking indicators that require improvement.

These include ICT services imports (133rd), expenditure on education (116th), intellectual property receipts (112th), tertiary inbound mobility (108th), and the secondary pupil-teacher ratio (107th).

The Global Innovation Index is widely regarded as a key tool for assessing national innovation performance.

It provides a comprehensive overview of how countries advance economically and socially through science, technology, and innovation, helping guide strategic planning and policymaking.