Pakistan has moved up to 95th place among 139 economies in the Global Innovation Index 2026, published by the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), the UN agency that tracks patents and related innovation data. The rise of four places from 99th in 2025 also restored the country’s “overperformer” label for a fourth time — a tag given to economies that deliver more innovation than expected for their level of development. Pakistan previously held that status in 2022 and 2024.
How Pakistan scored on inputs and outputs
The index shows Pakistan doing better on innovation results than on the resources that feed them. In 2026 it ranked 121st on innovation inputs and 72nd on innovation outputs, both improvements on the previous year. WIPO’s report argued that overperformance means innovation “does not follow a straight line from income to results,” and that focused strengths can produce more innovation than development level alone would suggest.
WIPO pointed to strengths concentrated in the digital economy: mobile app creation, exports of information and communications technology (ICT) services, high-tech imports and software spending. It also noted relatively strong scientific production and university quality as supports for that digital base. Pakistan was not among the top clusters in any single pillar of the index, such as human capital and research or infrastructure.
Where Pakistan sits among peers
Within its income group, Pakistan ranked 15th among 36 lower-middle-income economies. In central and southern Asia it placed eighth of 11 economies. Those peer comparisons matter because the overperformer tag is judged against what is typical for a country’s development level, not only against the global table led by richer economies.
Global leaders and Asia’s showing
Switzerland, Sweden and the United States remained the world’s top three innovation economies, with Switzerland first for a 16th straight year. WIPO said continuity defined the frontier: the leading group looked much like 2025, with no new economy entering the top 15, and Europe again supplying 14 of the 25 innovation leaders. The Netherlands rose to seventh and Austria to 18th. Five Asian economies sat in the top 25 — South Korea fourth, Singapore fifth, China 10th as the only middle-income economy among the leaders, Japan 12th and Hong Kong, China 14th.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- 2020: Pakistan ranked 107th on the Global Innovation Index.
- 2021: Ranking improved to 99th.
- 2022: Ranking reached 87th; Pakistan held overperformer status.
- 2023–2024: Rankings were 88th then 91st; overperformer status returned in 2024.
- 2025: Ranking slipped to 99th.
- 2026: Ranking rose to 95th of 139 economies; overperformer status regained for a fourth time.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Pakistan ki innovation ranking 2026 mein behtar hui hai — ab 95vin jagah par hai. WIPO ke mutabiq mulk apni income ke hisaab se zyada innovate kar raha hai. Digital apps, ICT services aur software is qadrati ki bunyad hain. Yeh ranking seedha bill nahi badalti, lekin IT aur tech kaam ke liye behtar signal hai.
