Tribune News Network
Doha
Qatar has ranked first globally in General Infrastructure and Tertiary Inbound Mobility in the 2026 Global Innovation Index (GII), published by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). Worldwide, Qatar ranks 47th, climbing 23 places since 2020.
The latest results mark Qatar’s sixth consecutive year of improvement in the index, reflecting progress across infrastructure, education, digital access and the broader innovation ecosystem.
Qatar advanced two places globally in the Human Capital and Research, securing a position among the top three countries regionally. It also ranked among the top three regionally in the Institutions and Infrastructure pillars.
In the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector, Qatar retained its place among the world’s top 10 countries in ICT Access.
The country also made significant gains in Market and Business Sophistication, advancing seven and 32 places globally, respectively, while ranking among the top three regionally in both pillars.
Qatar advanced five places in Knowledge and Technology Outputs and climbed two places in Creative Outputs, maintaining a position among the top three regionally in the latter.
Commenting on the results, Abdulaziz Ahmed Al Fehani, Assistant Secretary-General for Council Affairs at the National Planning Council, attributed the progress to coordinated national efforts across various sectors.
He highlighted the importance of high-quality national data submitted to international organisations in reflecting the country’s innovation performance.
Al Fehani said the progress made in infrastructure, digital transformation and education would support the next phase of development, focused on translating these strengths into economic and innovation outputs and empowering entrepreneurs and innovators in science and technology, in line with Qatar National Vision 2030.
Omar Ali Al Ansari, Secretary-General of the Qatar Research, Development and Innovation Council, said the 23-place improvement since 2020 reflected the development of the country’s research, development and innovation ecosystem.
He pointed to expanded innovation funding opportunities, the testing and deployment of solutions across sectors, talent attraction and the development of platforms connecting innovators, researchers and investors with opportunities in Qatar.
The 19th edition of the Global Innovation Index, themed Empowering Entrepreneurs at the Science Frontier, assesses the innovation performance of approximately 139 economies.
The annual report examines global innovation trends amid rapid technological change, with particular attention to advances in artificial intelligence, biotechnology, advanced materials and clean energy. It also explores how scientific discoveries can be translated into scalable, high-impact start-ups.
