TUNIS – Tunisia has climbed five spots to 76th place in the 2025 Global Innovation Index (GII), published by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), earning an overall score of 27 points and cementing its position as the fifth-most innovative economy in Africa.
The annual index, which measures the innovation capacity of 139 economies across the entire value chain—from resources invested to tangible results—relies on dozens of indicators, including R&D spending, education levels, scientific output, patent filings, and technology diffusion.
Mauritius leads the African ranking at 53rd worldwide with 32.5 points, followed by Morocco (60th, 31.1 points), which recorded its highest-ever historical ranking thanks to advances in infrastructure, industry, and emerging innovation ecosystems. South Africa (64th, 30.1 points) and Seychelles (72nd, 27.2 points) complete the region’s top five, with Tunisia closing the group. Further down, Egypt (24.7), Botswana (24.6), Senegal (23.8), Namibia (23.5) and Cape Verde (22.6) trail behind, while Algeria ranks significantly lower at 115th globally with 18.9 points, hampered by weak performances in investment and research.
According to the report, Tunisia continues to rely on the strength of its human capital and the emergence of its innovation ecosystems, particularly in higher education and science. The country’s highest scores are in the business diversification and market size pillar (68.3 points), followed by information and communication technologies (66.1) and education (63.6)—confirming structural strengths in training and economic integration. Yet Tunisia posts very low scores in R&D (7.0 points), investment (3.9), and general infrastructure (4.9), underscoring persistent challenges.
Globally, Switzerland tops the ranking with 66.0 points, driven by a robust research ecosystem, high R&D investment density, and close collaboration between universities, companies, and technology centers. It is followed by Sweden (62.6), the United States (61.7), South Korea (60.0), and Singapore (59.9). In the Arab world, the United Arab Emirates ranks first regionally at 30th globally with 44.2 points, reflecting massive investments in technology, digital infrastructure, and economic diversification, the report said. regionally, ranking 30th globally with 44.2 points — reflecting massive investments in technology, digital infrastructure, and economic diversification, the report notes.
TunisianMonitorNews (NejiMed)
