On 9 29, 2026, the World Intellectual Property Organization released the Global Innovation Index Report 2026. The report assessed 139 economies worldwide. China ranked 10, unchanged from the previous year, entering the top ten for the second consecutive year and being the only middle-income economy among the top ten; it remained first among 35 upper-middle-income economies, with 7 sub-indicators ranking first globally. A total of 25 Chinese clusters entered the global top hundred, ranking first in the world for the fourth consecutive year, and the "Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou" cluster topped the list for the second consecutive year.
On 9 29, 2026, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) released the Global Innovation Index Report 2026. The report assessed the innovation performance of 139 economies worldwide. China ranked 10, unchanged from the previous year, entering the top ten for the second consecutive year and being the only middle-income economy among the top ten. Since first participating in the assessment in 2012, China's ranking has climbed 25 places in total, making it one of the economies with the fastest improvement in innovation capacity globally.
Among 35 upper-middle-income economies, China remained first and had 7 sub-indicators ranking first globally. Among them, utility model applications per unit of GDP, design applications per unit of GDP, and trademark applications per unit of GDP all ranked first globally; the ranking for unicorn enterprise valuation as a share of GDP rose from 13 the previous year to 1. In 2026, China's innovation output ranked 5 globally and innovation input ranked 22, with the output-to-input ratio significantly higher than that of most high-income economies.
Regarding innovation clusters, a total of 25 Chinese clusters entered the global top hundred, an increase of 1 over the previous year, ranking first in the world for the fourth consecutive year. The "Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou" cluster ranked first among the global top hundred innovation clusters for the second consecutive year; Beijing ranked 4, and Shanghai-Suzhou ranked 6; Hangzhou, Nanjing, Wuhan, and Chengdu ranked 13, 15, 17, and 20 respectively.
Hong Kong, China rose to 14.
A relevant official of the China National Intellectual Property Administration introduced at a State Council Information Office press conference in 7 this year that, as of the end of 6 in 2026, the number of high-value invention patents held in China reached 236, with 16.8 high-value invention patents per ten thousand population. Domestic enterprises holding valid invention patents reached 57.4, with 425.4 valid invention patents, accounting for 74.8% of the domestic total, an increase of 0.3 percentage points over the end of the previous year. ——————————————————————————————————————————————————— Information sources: World Intellectual Property Organization, Global Innovation Index Report 2026 (released on 9 29, 2026); China National Intellectual Property Administration. Note: This article is compiled based on public information and is for informational reference only; it does not constitute legal or other professional advice. For specific conclusions, please refer to official releases and the actual circumstances of individual cases.
Prepared by Liangma Legalmark Trademark Team from public industry information for general information only. It is not legal advice on a specific matter. Editorial standards ↗
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