CHINA secured 10th place on the World Intellectual Property Organization’s (WIPO) Global Innovation Index (GII) 2025, released Tuesday, marking the first time the country has appeared in the top 10.

Switzerland topped the list, followed by Sweden, the U.S., South Korea, Singapore, the U.K., Finland, the Netherlands, Denmark, and China.

The Shenzhen–Hong Kong–Guangzhou science and technology cluster, one of 24 Chinese clusters on the index, earned the top spot globally for the first time after placing second since 2020. For the third consecutive year, China is home to more top 100 global science and technology innovation clusters than any other country.

The index evaluates the innovation performance of nearly 140 economies using approximately 80 indicators, including R&D spending, venture capital deals, high-tech exports, and intellectual property filing.

China has maintained its lead among middle-income economies globally and shows continued strength in R&D spending, high-tech exports, and innovation outputs, according to the index.

In the rankings, 17 low and middle-income economies have performed above expectations for their level of development, with India and Vietnam being the longest-running innovation overperformers. Sub-Saharan Africa leads in the number of economies overperforming on innovation, led by South Africa, Senegal, and Rwanda.

Southeast Asia, East Asia, and Oceania remain a driving force in global innovation in 2025, with six economies ranked among the top 25. (Xinhua)