Korea ranked fourth overall among 139 countries in the 2025 Global Innovation Index (GII) released by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the highest among Asian countries.
According to the Korean Intellectual Property Office on the 16th, Korea has entered the top 10 for six consecutive years since 2020 and is steadily recognized internationally for its innovation capacity.
The GII is derived by combining five input pillars—institutions, human capital and research, infrastructure, and market and corporations sophistication—and two output pillars—knowledge and technology outputs, and creative outputs—for a total of 78 indicators. Korea ranked fourth in inputs and sixth in outputs, and in particular, took first place worldwide in human capital and research for the seventh consecutive year.
Korea also ranked first worldwide in three indicators—patent applications relative to gross domestic product (GDP), government online services, and corporations' research capacity—and placed third globally in international patents (PCT) and design applications.
Switzerland topped this year's index, followed by Sweden, the United States, Korea, Singapore, and the United Kingdom. Among Asian countries, Korea was clearly in the lead, while China and Japan ranked 10th and 12th, respectively.
Kim Wan-gi, commissioner of the Korean Intellectual Property Office, said, "The reason our country's innovation capacity was rated highly is that joint efforts by the government and the private sector to cultivate talent and build infrastructure led to the creation and protection of intellectual property," adding, "Going forward, the Korean Intellectual Property Office will support the effective use of innovation outcomes and their stable protection to strengthen competitiveness in the global market."