China Replaces Germany In Top 10 Of UN’s Annual Most Innovative Countries

Last Updated:September 16, 2025, 16:42 IST

China contributed a quarter of international patent applications in 2024 while US, Japan and Germany – which together make up 40% of total applications – recorded slight declines.

As per the Global Innovation Index (GII) survey of 139 economies that ranks them based on 78 indicators, Switzerland remained in first place, a position it has held since 2011, followed by Sweden and the United States. China stood in the 10th position.

China on Tuesday replaced Europe’s largest economy, Germany, and moved into the top 10 of the United Nations’ annual ranking of most innovative countries.

As per the Global Innovation Index (GII) survey of 139 economies that ranks them based on 78 indicators, Switzerland remained in first place, a position it has held since 2011, followed by Sweden and the United States. China stood in the 10th position.

The survey revealed that China will soon become the biggest research and development spender as it rapidly closes the gap in private sector financing.

According to Reuters, China contributed about a quarter of international patent applications in 2024, remaining the biggest source of them, while the US, Japan and Germany – which together make up 40% of total applications – all recorded slight declines.

Ownership of patents is regarded as an important mark of a country’s economic strength and industrial know-how.

Though China replaced Germany in the list, Reuters quoted GII co-editor, Sacha Wunsch-Vincent as saying that Germany should not be alarmed by its fall to 11th place as the new rankings did not reflect the impact of tariffs imposed by the Trump administration in the US.

“The challenge for Germany is how…, alongside its strong, decades-long status as a really powerful engine of industrial innovation, to become a powerhouse of digital innovation,” said Daren Tang, director general of the UN’s World Intellectual Property Organization, which publishes the innovation index.

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