Tunisia has made significant progress in the Global Innovation Index 2026, ranking 71st globally among 139 economies. This represents an improvement of five ranks compared to 2025 and ten ranks compared to 2024. According to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Tunisia also secured the second position in North Africa and fourth in Africa.
Tunisia excelled in several areas, including ranking first globally in the proportion of science and engineering graduates. The country's human capital and scientific research are notable strengths in its innovation ecosystem, with a global ranking of 45 in this axis. Additionally, Tunisia ranked 12th in scientific production, 38th in advanced technology exports, and 18th in foreign direct investment in research and development projects and advanced technologies.
In Africa, Tunisia ranked fourth behind Mauritius, South Africa, and Morocco. The country outperformed Egypt, Rwanda, Kenya, Ghana, and Senegal in the 2026 classification. The WIPO report highlighted Tunisia's strengths in science, engineering, scientific production, and export-oriented capacities, providing a foundation for supporting technological modernization and enhancing participation in more knowledge-intensive productive activities.
However, the report also identified challenges hindering the development of Tunisia's innovation ecosystem. The business environment ranked 124th globally, and private sector participation in research and development, as well as innovation links, ranked 112th. The next challenge for Tunisia is to strengthen links between competencies, scientific research, and export capacities on one hand, and institutions, investments, and innovation marketing on the other.
The 2026 Global Innovation Index introduced a new indicator related to foreign direct investment in research and development projects and advanced technologies, based on announced investment project data. Since 2007, the Global Innovation Index has been an international benchmark for evaluating economies' performance in innovation. The 2026 index assesses the performance of 139 economies using 79 indicators that fall under innovation inputs and outputs.
The WIPO report provides a comprehensive evaluation of innovation ecosystems worldwide. The index covers areas such as institutions, human capital, scientific research, infrastructure, market and business development, as well as knowledge and technology outputs and creative outputs. Member states of the World Intellectual Property Organization use the index to evaluate their innovation performance and inform policy and strategy development.
A WIPO survey for 2025-2026 found that 78% of participating member states, or 93 countries out of 120, reported using the Global Innovation Index. The index is primarily used to improve innovation ecosystems and policies, enhance innovation data, and inform economic planning and policy development.
Key points
- Tunisia ranks 71st globally and 4th in Africa in the 2026 Global Innovation Index
- The country excelled in science and engineering graduates, scientific production, and advanced technology exports
- The business environment and private sector participation in research and development remain areas for improvement
