Qatar Among Fastest Risers in Global Innovation, Now Ranks 48th
Among 139 economies, Qatar has surged from 70th in 2019 to 48th in 2025, the survey reveals.
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[Image source: Chetan Jha/MITSMR Middle East]
Qatar has climbed from 70th to 48th place in the 2025 Global Innovation Index (GII), published by WIPO, which ranks the innovation performance of 139 countries.
Evaluated across Institutions, Human Capital and Research, Infrastructure, Market Sophistication, Business Sophistication, Knowledge and Technology Output, Qatar outperformed its neighboring countries, Bahrain (62), Oman (69), Iran (70), Kuwait (73), and Lebanon (90) but lags behind the United Arab Emirates (30) and Saudi Arabia (46).
“This result in the Global Innovation Index is a testament to the progress Qatar has made and a signal of the country’s readiness to lead in a rapidly transforming global economy,” said Omar Al Ansari, Secretary General, QRDI Council, in an official statement.
Since 2019, Qatar has been one of the fastest innovation climbers.
With innovation gaining momentum in Northern Africa and Western Asia—especially in the Middle East—and in Sub-Saharan Africa, Qatar stands out for attracting international talent, ranking 1st globally in tertiary inbound mobility, and shows strong ICT use.
The Right Checkboxes
Under Institutions, Human Capital and Research, Infrastructure, Market Sophistication, Business Sophistication, Knowledge and Technology Output, Qatar recorded its most significant improvement in the overall Infrastructure pillar, climbing 25 places to rank 14. Under the subcategory of General Infrastructure, the country ranked 1st.
Meanwhile, in the Institutions section, Qatar moved up three places to 17th globally, backed by strong policy stability for doing business and entrepreneurship policy and culture.
Notably, Qatar ranks 44th in Human Capital and Research, 48th in Market Sophistication, 90 in Business Sophistication, 83 in Knowledge and Technology Outputs, and 60 in Creative Outputs.
“By embedding innovation, research, and talent at the heart of our national agenda, we are not only advancing Qatar’s competitiveness today but also cementing its leadership in shaping the knowledge economies of the future,” said Nejoud Al-Jehani, Executive Director of Strategy & Programs at the QRDI Council.
