China Leading in Innovation

In the 2021 edition of the Global Innovation Index released by World Intellectual Property Organization, China maintained its 14th place in 2020, after breaking into the top 15 last year. China is still the only middle-income economy that makes it to the top 30.

The country elevates its ranks in two categories: human capital and research (21st, up by four), and market sophistication (19th, up by two). It maintains its world leadership in several key output indicators, including patents by origin, utility models, trademarks, industrial designs, and creative goods exports. China sustains its 12th rank in the creative outputs category. It also maintains the first global place in sub-category intangible assets. China edged into the top 25 in 2016, moved to 17th in 2018, and to 14th in 2019.

Every year, the Global Innovation Index ranks the innovation performance of more than 130 economies around the world.