Singapore’s strong innovation foundations recognised globally

1      SINGAPORE, 29 September 2026 – Singapore’s innovation environment has once again been recognised among the world’s best, with Singapore ranking 5^th amongst 139 countries in the 2026 WIPO Global Innovation Index (GII) – an independent annual assessment of the innovation capabilities and performance of countries.

2     The 2026 result marks Singapore’s fourth consecutive year in the global top five. Singapore also retained its 1^st-place ranking for Innovation Inputs, and remains a global leader in 12 out of the GII’s 79 indicators, up from 10 indicators in 2025^[1].

3         Published annually by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the GII compares the innovation performance of countries worldwide. The 2026 index uses 79 indicators to measure the conditions that support innovation^[2] and the results of innovation^[3].

4         Singapore’s strong performance in Innovation Inputs reflects the strength and consistency of its business and innovation environment, including areas that businesses value – trusted institutions, access to talent and research capabilities, and a well-developed ecosystem in which to invest, develop new ideas and grow. Singapore also compared favourably with other high-income economies and countries in the South East Asia, East Asia, and Oceania (SEAO) region. (See Fig. 1)

5         Singapore’s strengths also extended to the creation and international flows of intellectual property (IP) and knowledge. Singapore ranked within the global top 20 for IP receipts and payments as a share of total trade, and for international patent applications relative to the size of its economy. Taken together, these indicators reflect Singapore’s connectivity to global flows of IP and knowledge – accessing IP from abroad, creating new knowledge here, and enabling IP to be used across borders.

6         Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, in a video message at the GII 2026 launch in Geneva, said: “For over two decades, the Government has invested about one percent of GDP each year in research and innovation. We will sustain this commitment. These are significant investments for a country of our size. But they are essential investments in our future. Funding alone, however, is not enough. Innovation flourishes when people have the confidence to experiment, take risks, and invest for the long term. That requires strong fundamentals. From climate change to public health, the challenges of our time cannot be solved by any one country alone. We need to bring together different ideas, perspectives and capabilities. So even in a more contested world, we must preserve the space for ideas to flow and for people to collaborate. That is how we will push the frontiers of innovation.”

7         Mr Tan Kong Hwee, Chief Executive of the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS), said: “Singapore’s strong performance in the GII reflects the strength of an environment designed to help businesses innovate and grow. Innovation is not only about creating new ideas, but also about how knowledge and IP are brought into the economy, developed and translated into value. IPOS contributes to this by building a trusted and connected IP ecosystem that helps businesses protect, manage and commercialise their IP and intangible assets. Through the Singapore IP Strategy (SIPS) 2030, we will continue to strengthen this ecosystem, helping businesses bring their ideas to market and grow internationally.”

8         Building on these strong foundations, Singapore will continue to strengthen its innovation environment and support businesses and innovators in turning ideas and research into products, services and solutions with real-world impact. By helping innovation move from ideas to market, Singapore aims to create new opportunities for businesses to grow, compete and expand internationally.

Figure 1: Benchmark of Singapore against other economy groupings for each of the seven areas of the GII Index. [Source: IPOS, based on and adapted from the WIPO Global Innovation Index 2026]

Figure 2: Table of Indicators where Singapore was a global leader for 2026 [Source: IPOS 2026]

^[1] See Figure 2 for the indicators where Singapore was a global leader for 2026

^[2] Singapore ranked 1^st globally in Institutions, which include areas such as government effectiveness and the stability of policies for doing business; 2nd in Human Capital and Research; 4th in Business Sophistication; and 5^th in Market Sophistication.

^[3] Singapore improved in Creative Outputs and Ecological Sustainability, including ranking 3^rd globally for mobile app creation.

For media enquiries, please contact:

Jenny Kwok
Senior Assistant Director, Intellectual Property Office of Singapore
Jenny_Kwok@ipos.gov.sg | +65 8333 7231

About IPOS

The Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) is the national authority that registers and is responsible for the administration of IP rights in Singapore. IPOS helps businesses use intangible assets (IA) and IP to grow and is committed to building Singapore into an international IA/IP hub. IPOS is a statutory board under the Ministry of Law. IPOS International is a private limited company fully owned by IPOS, committed to building Singapore's future growth as a global hub for intellectual property creation, commercialisation and management. We serve the public sector, investors, private enterprises, not-for-profits, service providers and individuals through patent search and analysis, training and IP management services. Together, we amplify creativity and enable innovation, to realise tangible economic and social value from intangible assets.