Hong Kong rises to 14th in Global Innovation Index

China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) is moving up the global innovation ranks. It has climbed one spot from last year to 14th among the 139 economies in the 2026 Global Innovation Index, released by the World Intellectual Property Organization on Tuesday, while retaining its fifth place in Asia.

Hong Kong maintained its eighth-place global ranking in innovation inputs and rose to 21st in innovation outputs. Among its key strengths, the city ranked second worldwide in market sophistication, while human capital and research climbed to sixth and institutions to seventh.

The rise in ranking came amid Hong Kong's full-throttle push for becoming a global sci-tech hub, as was pledged in its first five-year plan unveiled earlier this month. The HKSAR government has vowed to create a comprehensive industrial ecosystem covering R&D, commercialization, pilot and mass production in new technology parks in the Northern Metropolis.

It will also promote new industrialization tailored to local conditions, establish a distinctive industrial development framework, and advance the "AI+" initiative while strengthen computing infrastructure and accelerate the application of AI among small and medium-sized enterprises, said a spokesperson for the HKSAR government.

The Global Innovation Index is a ranking of the innovation capabilities and outcomes of economies worldwide. Its assessment covers a range of indicators, including institutions, human capital and research infrastructure, credit, investment, linages, the creation, absorption and diffusion of knowledge, and creative outputs.

(With input from Xinhua)