Hong Kong ranks 5th in Asia in Global Innovation Index 2025

The Republic of Korea achieved its highest-ever global ranking at 4^th, while Singapore secured 5^th place worldwide.

Hong Kong has retained its position as the 5^th most innovative economy in Asia in the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2025, published by the World Intellectual Property Organization.

On the global scale, Hong Kong climbed three places to 15^th. As regards the two sub-indices under the GII, the city rose to 8^th in the "Innovation Input", and made a significant leap of nine places to 22^nd in the "Innovation Output".

A spokesperson for the Hong Kong SAR Government highlighted in a press release that the development of innovation and technology has been a policy priority of the Government.

“We will continue to enhance the I&T ecosystem and attract global I&T resources and talent, with a view to developing Hong Kong into an international I&T centre at full steam,” said the spokesperson.

Globally, Switzerland, Sweden, and the United States maintained their top three positions in 2025. The Republic of Korea reached a historic high, ranking 4^th globally, surpassing Singapore to be in the top position in Asia.

Singapore, though it dropped one place this year, rounded out the top five globally by leading in 10 innovation indicators.

China entered the global top 10 for the first time, ranking 10^th. It outperformed Switzerland in knowledge and technology outputs, ranked 2^nd in R&D expenditure, and led in patent filings.

Global Innovation Index 2025 rankings

1. Switzerland
2. Sweden
3. United States
4. Republic of Korea
5. Singapore
6. United Kingdom
7. Finland
8. Netherlands
9. Denmark
10. China

Asia Pacific rankings

• Republic of Korea (4^th globally)
• Singapore (5^th globally)
• China (10^th globally)
• Japan (12^th globally)
• Hong Kong, China (15^th globally)
• Australia (22^nd globally)
• New Zealand (26^th globally)
• Malaysia (34^th globally)
• India (38^th globally)
• Vietnam (44^th globally)
• Thailand (45^th globally)
• Philippines (50^th globally)
• Indonesia (55^th globally)

The GII 2025 also spotlighted the world’s top 100 innovation clusters.

For the third consecutive year, China led the pack, boasting the most clusters (24) among the top 100.

Meanwhile, three out of India's four clusters achieved remarkable advances, with Bengaluru rising to 21^st, Delhi to 26^th, and Mumbai to 46^th position.

Top 10 innovative clusters in the world

1. Shenzhen–Hong Kong–Guangzhou (China, Hong Kong, China)
2. Tokyo–Yokohama (Japan)
3. San Jose–San Francisco (United States)
4. Beijing (China)
5. Seoul (Republic of Korea)
6. Shanghai–Suzhou (China)
7. New York City (United States)
8. London (United Kingdom)
9. Boston–Cambridge (United States)
10. Los Angeles (United States)

Methodology

The GII 2025 has analysed innovation ecosystems across 139 economies, tracking global innovation trends through investment patterns, technological progress, adoption rates, and socioeconomic impacts.

This year, the ranking of the top 100 innovation cluster has taken a new approach by incorporating venture capital (VC) deal data as a third metric alongside patent filings and scientific publications.