The Republic of Moldova ranked 60th among 132 countries and economies in the ranking of the Global Innovation Index 2023 (GII), marking a drop of 4 positions compared to the previous year.

The Global Innovation Index is one of the most important benchmark studies for measuring countries’ innovation performance. The study includes 132 countries worldwide and examines around 80 indicators including: human capital and research, infrastructure, credit, investment, linkages, innovation, creative activity outputs, etc.

According to the ranking, in 2023, the Republic of Moldova ranked 81st in innovation input sub-index (on decrease compared to rank 78 in 2022) and 50th in innovation output sub-index (on decrease compared to rank 46 in 2022). In terms of infrastructure, the country ranked 75th (rank 84 in the previous year), and in terms of human capital and research, rank 67 (62 in 2022).

In the field of creativity, the Republic of Moldova managed to maintain itself at a good level, ranking 42nd (compared to rank 43 in 2022). In the knowledge and technology output indicator, the country ranked 60th (rank 49 in 2022).

In the innovation ranking, the Republic of Moldova faced challenges in terms of business sophistication, ranking a position well below expectations, namely rank 101, significantly below rank 79 in 2022. The country also achieved a modest rank in the category of institutions’ sophistication, ranking 96th, compared to rank 98 in the previous year. However, a positive aspect in the evaluation of innovation in the Republic of Moldova is represented by rank 76 (rank 79 in 2022) in the market sophistication indicator, reflecting the potential for development in this field in the future.

Moldova’s innovation strengths include utility models by origin (rank 5), industrial designs by origin (rank 6) and loans from microfinance institutions, % GDP (rank 7).

At the global level, the Republic of Moldova ranked 13th in the category of countries with upper middle income out of a total of 33 states.

It is worth noting that the highest ranking of the Republic of Moldova in this prestigious ranking was in 2011, when it ranked 39th. This assessment reflects the country’s commitment to the development and promotion of innovation and provides an insight into the progress made in this domain over time.

According to the current edition of the Global Innovation Index launched on September 27, Switzerland leads the ranking, retaining its top position since 2011. It is followed by Sweden, the United States of America, the United Kingdom and Singapore.

Neighboring countries: Romania ranks 47th, while Ukraine ranks 55th.

The Global Index ranking has been published annually since 2007 and is carried out by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the American Cornell University and the French management school Insead. Its purpose is to familiarize the public with the developments of the innovation sector and to approach this field beyond the traditional innovation mechanisms, reflecting through the prism of research and development indicators the situation at global, regional and national level.

The detailed results of the study regarding the ranking of the Republic of Moldova can be consulted here: https://www.wipo.int/edocs/pubdocs/en/wipo-pub-2000-2023/md.pdf

More information on the full Global Innovation Index 2023 report is available at the following link: https://www.wipo.int/pressroom/en/articles/2023/article_0011.html