In light of recent developments, India has ascended two positions to secure the 46th spot in the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2021 rankings. This progress denotes an upward trend in innovation for the country, with notable enhancements across several sectors.
Understanding the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2021
The GII is introduced annually by the World Intellectual Property Organization, an esteemed United Nations agency. Primarily, it strives to present a comprehensive overview of innovation activities in roughly 132 nations. The index includes extensive in-depth analysis, providing insights into the multifaceted nature of innovation on a global scale.
The Collaboration Behind the GII
The production of the GII is a collaborative effort, involving partnerships with the Portulans Institute, along with various corporate partners. These include the Brazilian National Confederation of Industry, Confederation of Indian Industry, Colombia’s Ecopetrol, and the Turkish Exporters Assembly.
Critical Evaluation Indicators
To accurately rank the innovation capacity of countries, the index uses approximately 80 indicators. These are categorized into innovation inputs, which include elements like institutional framework, human capital, research, infrastructure, market and business sophistication, and innovation outputs, comprising knowledge and technology outputs as well as creative outputs.
Global Innovation Performance Leaders
Switzerland, Sweden, U.S., and U.K. consistently lead the GII rankings, maintaining top five positions for the past three years. 2021 marks the debut of the Republic of Korea in the top five. Furthermore, four Asian economies—Singapore (8), China (12), Japan (13), and Hong Kong, China (14)—are featured in the top 15.
India’s Progress in Global Innovation
Over the past few years, India’s innovation ranking has improved significantly, climbing from the 81st position in 2015 to the 46th spot in 2021. In the 2021 index, India has performed better in innovation outputs than innovation inputs. With regard to innovation inputs, India maintained its 57th rank from last year, demonstrating an improvement from 2019. Similarly, its 45th position in the innovation outputs category remains unchanged from last year, yet signifies progress from the 2019 ranking.
India’s Rank Among Lower Middle-Income and Central/Southern Asian Economies
In the lower-middle-income group comprising 34 economies, India holds a commendable second position. Furthermore, it leads the pack among the ten Central and Southern Asian economies featured in the GII 2021.
Contributors to India’s Innovation Performance
The Indian government attributes this notable improvement to advancements within several departments, including atomic energy, science and technology, biotechnology, and space.
Other Significant Findings from the GII 2021
Investments in innovation reached exceptional levels prior to the pandemic, showing R&D growth at a rate of 8.5% in 2019. Even top R&D spending economies continued to increase their government budget allocations in 2020. Moreover, the 2020 figures reveal a 7.6% increase in the publication of scientific articles globally. Countries such as India, Kenya, the Republic of Moldova, and Vietnam have consistently outperformed in innovation relative to their level of development for 11 consecutive years.
The India Innovation Index
In line with the GII, NITI Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India) has developed India’s own Innovation Index. This index not only uses conventional parameters like patents per million population, scientific journal publications, and research spending as a percentage of GDP, but also incorporates factors specific to the Indian economy such as demographic dividend, thus providing a more holistic evaluation framework.
