On September 20, 2021, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and Portulans Institute jointly released the Global Innovation Index (GII) report of 2021.

This year, China goes up from the 14th (2020) to the 12th place among the 132 economies participating in the global ranking, and remains the only middle-income economy that has entered the top 30 in the global innovation index. 

Switzerland leads the global innovation index list for the 11th consecutive year. Sweden, the United States, Britain, South Korea, the Netherlands, Finland, Singapore, Denmark and Germany ranked 2nd to 10th, respectively. South Korea has entered the top five in the global innovation index for the first time. After becoming the second Asian economy to enter the top ten last year, South Korea has made another breakthrough and become the first Asian economy to enter the top 5.

The Global Innovation Index (GII) ranks world economies according to their innovation ability. GII consists of about 80 indicators, which are divided into innovation input and output, and aims to capture multiple dimensions of innovation.

According to the Global Innovation Index report, since 2013, China has been steadily rising in the global innovation index ranking, establishing its position as a global innovation leader, and moving closer to the top 10 every year. China's performance is at the forefront of achievements, especially in terms of innovation output.