The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) yesterday evening announced the results of the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2025 in Geneva, Switzerland. As per the WIPO’s results, Vietnam maintained its position at 44th which it has held since 2024.
Vietnam's performance was notable for its continued leadership in several key indicators. For the first time, Vietnam ranked first globally in the Creative Goods Exports index, while also maintaining its top position in both High-tech Imports and High-tech Exports.
The country showed improvement in the Innovation Input category, climbing three places to 50th from 53rd in 2023. This category assesses five pillars: institutions, human capital and research, infrastructure, market sophistication, and business sophistication.
While the country's Innovation Output ranking saw a slight decrease of one place to 37th, from 36th in 2024, it continues to outperform the Innovation Input ranking. This output category measures knowledge and technology products as well as creative goods.
Among lower-middle-income countries, Vietnam secured the second position, with India ranking just ahead at 38th. In the ASEAN region, Vietnam placed third, surpassing Thailand and trailing only Singapore and Malaysia. The countries ranked above Vietnam in the GII 2025 are primarily high-income, developed economies with a high ratio of research and development spending relative to their GDP, including China (10th), Malaysia (34th), and Türkiye (43rd).
In the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2025 Report published by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Vietnam was recognized as one of nine middle-income countries demonstrating the fastest improvement in rankings since 2013. Other countries in this group include China, India, Türkiye, the Philippines, Indonesia, Morocco, Albania, and Iran.
Vietnam is also one of only two countries, alongside India, to maintain a record of outstanding achievements relative to its level of development for 15 consecutive years. Over this period, Vietnam consistently achieved higher innovation outcomes than its development stage would suggest, underscoring the country’s efficiency in transforming input resources into innovative results.
Furthermore, Vietnam ranks among the top three countries—together with China and Ethiopia—with the fastest growth in labor productivity during the 2014–2024 period. According to the 2025 GII Report, Vietnam leads the world in three key indicators: high-technology imports, high-technology exports, and exports of creative goods. Notably, this marks the first time Vietnam has held the global lead in creative goods exports.
In addition, Vietnam ranks within the top 10 globally across three further indicators: labor productivity growth rate (4th), the number of smart phone applications developed (7th), and the share of enterprise-funded research and development (R&D) expenditure in total national R&D expenditure (8th).
The Ministry of Science and Technology emphasized that WIPO’s annual GII Report is a highly regarded tool for assessing national innovation capacity worldwide. It reflects how science, technology, and innovation drive socio-economic development models and provide countries with both a comprehensive overview and insights into their strengths and weaknesses. Consequently, many governments now use the GII as a strategic reference for policymaking in science, technology, and innovation.
According to WIPO’s 2024 survey, 77 percent of member states—an increase of more than 20 percent compared to 2022—reported using GII findings to shape national strategies, science and technology policies, and innovation agendas.
In recent times, the Government of Vietnam has utilized this set of indicators as one of the essential management tools and has assigned various ministries, agencies, and localities the shared responsibility of enhancing these indicators. Among them, the Ministry of Science and Technology has been designated as the primary entity for monitoring and overall coordination. Since 2017, Vietnam's Global Innovation Index (GII) has consistently improved, rising from the 59th position in 2016 to the 44th position in 2024 out of 133 countries and economies.
