Kazakhstan rises to 73rd position in Global Innovation Index 2026

Kazakhstan has advanced by eight positions in the Global Innovation Index (GII), ranking 73rd globally. The country recorded the largest improvement among the economies of Central and Southern Asia, El.kz reports, citing the press service of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Kazakhstan moved up eight positions to 73rd among 139 economies worldwide in the 2026 Global Innovation Index (GII), entering the top 80 most innovative economies globally. This represents the most significant improvement among the countries of Central and Southern Asia.

The 2026 GII results were presented at the headquarters of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in Geneva. This year’s edition focuses on the theme “Supporting Entrepreneurs at the Frontiers of Science” and examines the transformation of scientific discoveries and frontier technologies into startups, technology companies and scalable solutions.

The Global Innovation Index is an annual ranking published by WIPO that assesses the innovation performance and potential of economies worldwide. It enables comparisons of national innovation systems, identification of their strengths and weaknesses, and the use of evidence to inform and improve public policy in the field of innovation.

Year-on-year, Kazakhstan improved its position from 81st in 2025 to 73rd in 2026, recording its strongest result over the past decade. According to WIPO, in the regional ranking for Central and Southern Asia, Kazakhstan advanced from 4th to 2nd place among 11 economies and retained its 1st position among Central Asian countries.

Notable positive dynamics were recorded in the innovation outputs pillar, where Kazakhstan advanced from 84th to 73rd place. In terms of innovation inputs, the country improved its position from 75th to 73rd.

Among the seven main pillars of the Index, the most significant improvement was recorded in Knowledge and Technology Outputs, where Kazakhstan moved from 87th to 69th place, an increase of 18 positions. Positive changes were also recorded in indicators including production and export complexity, industrial designs and labour productivity growth.

Kazakhstan’s strongest positions in the 2026 GII include utility models - 7th globally; government online services - 10th; labour productivity growth - 20th; national feature films - 24th; high-technology exports - 27th; gross capital formation - 31st; and the QS ranking of leading universities - 35th.

Overall, Kazakhstan advanced by eight positions in the Global Innovation Index over the year, demonstrating significant positive momentum while maintaining its position as the leading economy in Central Asia.