The Tunisian economy has shown significant improvement in innovation, rising to 71st place globally in the 2026 Global Innovation Index published by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). This represents a gain of five places compared to 2025 and ten places compared to 2024. The country's ranking reflects its strong performance in various innovation metrics, including human capital and research.
In Africa, Tunisia ranks fourth, behind Mauritius, Morocco, and South Africa. Mauritius holds the 50th global spot, followed by Morocco at 54th and South Africa at 63rd. Tunisia's advancement in the rankings is notable, especially considering its position in 2024, when it ranked 81st globally. The country's improvement over the past two years demonstrates its efforts to enhance its innovation ecosystem.
Tunisia's strengths lie in its human capital and research, with a global ranking of 45th in these categories. Notably, the country excels in the proportion of graduates in science and engineering, ranking first globally in this metric. Additionally, Tunisia ranks 12th in scientific and technical articles relative to GDP, 18th in greenfield investments in R&D and high-tech, and 38th in high-tech exports.
Despite these achievements, the country's innovation index also reveals areas for improvement. Tunisia ranks 92nd in terms of resources dedicated to innovation but achieves a higher 56th rank in innovation outputs. This disparity indicates that Tunisia's innovation outcomes exceed expectations given its level of inputs. However, challenges persist, particularly in linking research to economic innovation.
A significant gap exists between Tunisia's scientific capabilities and their translation into economic innovation. The country ranks 112th in innovation linkages and 134th in joint publications between public research and industry. Furthermore, Tunisia's gross capital formation ranks 130th globally, highlighting another area for development. The challenge lies in connecting scientific competencies with businesses, investment, and innovation commercialization.
The Global Innovation Index 2026 evaluates 139 economies based on 79 indicators. The annual changes in rankings should be interpreted with consideration for data availability and potential methodological adjustments. Tunisia's progress in the index reflects its efforts to strengthen its innovation ecosystem, but continued focus on bridging the gap between research and industry is necessary.
The WIPO's Global Innovation Index provides a comprehensive assessment of innovation performance worldwide. For Tunisia, the index offers insights into areas of strength and opportunities for growth. By addressing its weaknesses and capitalizing on its strengths, Tunisia can continue to improve its innovation ranking and foster sustainable economic development.
Key points
- Tunisia ranks 71st globally in the 2026 Global Innovation Index.
- The country excels in human capital and research, ranking 45th globally.
- Tunisia's innovation outputs exceed expectations given its level of inputs.
