NB Data Stories | From 81 in 2015 to 40 in 2023, India maintains 40th rank in the Global Innovation Index 2023; Know how-

NewsBharati 29-Sep-2023 12:35:04 PM

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New Delhi, Sept 29: India has maintained its 40th rank in the latest Global Innovation Index (GII) 2023 released by the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), making it a leading position holder among the lower middle-income country group. Notably, India has been on a rising trajectory, over the past several years in GII from a rank of 81 in 2015 to 40 in 2023.

The country ranked first among the 37 lower-middle group income and first among the 10 economies in Central and South America.

What is GII and what does it say about India?

The GII tracks the innovation ecosystem performance of 132 global economies and the most recent global innovation trends. In 2015, India stood at the 81st spot and has been rising in the past eight years. It is a reliable tool for governments across the world to assess the innovation-led social and economic changes in their respective countries.

“India maintains its 40th position overall and takes the helm in the lower middle-income group. It holds the record for overperforming on innovation for the 13th consecutive year. India holds top rankings in key indicators, including ICT services exports (at place 5), VC received (6), graduates in science and engineering (11) and global corporate R&D investors (13),” read a press state from the GII.

It also said that Switzerland, Sweden, the United States, the United Kingdom and Singapore lead; China, Türkiye, India, Viet Nam, the Philippines, Indonesia, and the Islamic Republic of Iran are the middle-income economies making the most headway in innovation over the last decade.

India has climbed the GII rankings fastest over the last decade, it said. India also continues as a record holder by being an innovation overperformer for a 13th consecutive year, it added.

Bengaluru, Delhi, Chennai and Mumbai (India) are the only middleincome economy clusters outside China. Chennai and Bengaluru (India) see the biggest jump in ranking among this income group.

What does Govt say?

"Innovation has been at the forefront of our battle against the unprecedented crisis created by the pandemic and will be pivotal in driving the country’s resilience, as enshrined in the Prime Minister’s clarion call on Atma Nirbhar Bharat," the government said in press release.

The government has reason behind this development "the immense knowledge capital, the vibrant start-up ecosystem, and the amazing work done by the public and private research organizations."

"All Departments of the Government, including Scientific Departments such as the Department of Science and Technology; the Department of Biotechnology; the Department of Space; and the Department of Atomic Energy and also departments such as the Ministry of Electronics and IT, Department of Telecommunications, Department of Agricultural Research & Education and the Department of Health Research have played a pivotal role in enriching the National Innovation Ecosystem. Most importantly, the Atal Innovation Mission has played a major role in expanding the Innovation ecosystem," it said.

India's Pros & Cons

Other parameters where India performed fairly better include– cultural and creative services exports as percentage of trade (18th rank), intangible asset intensity (8th rank), and overall market sophistication (20th rank).

The broad areas where a lot of improvement needs to happen are infrastructure (84th rank), business sophistication (57) and institutions (56).

NITI Aayog said that it has been working tirelessly to ensure the optimisation of the national efforts for bringing policy-led innovation in different areas such as electric vehicles, biotechnology, nanotechnology, space, alternative energy sources, etc.

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has also been collaborating in India’s journey towards an innovation-driven economy, said the government think tank. This year, the NITI Aayog will virtually be hosting ‘the India Launch of the GII 2023’ in partnership with the CII and the WIPO on 29th September 2023.

Of the 21 economies that outperformed on innovation relative to their level of development, the majority are located in Sub-Saharan Africa and SouthEast Asia, East Asia, and Oceania.

Along with India, the Republic of Moldova and Vietnam have also been innovation overperformers for 13 years in a row and Indonesia, Pakistan and Uzbekistan have maintained their overperformer status for a second year and Brazil for a third consecutive year, according to WIPO.