Qatar ranked 47th globally in the 2026 Global Innovation Index (GII), published by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), moving up one place from 2025. This marks the country’s sixth consecutive year of progress, bringing its total gain since 2020 to 23 places. 

Qatar retained its position as first globally in the General Infrastructure sub-pillar for the second consecutive year and ranked 16th overall in the Infrastructure pillar. The country also recorded strong results in digital indicators, ranking seventh globally in ICT Access and eighth in ICT Use. 

Qatar rose five places in the Entrepreneurship Policies and Culture indicator to rank 10th globally, while advancing two places in the Tertiary Education sub-pillar to rank eighth. It also retained its first-place global ranking in the Tertiary Inbound Mobility indicator, with international students accounting for 41.7% of all tertiary students, based on the data used in the report. The country advanced 32 places in the Business Sophistication pillar. 

These results come amid coordinated national efforts to support the innovation ecosystem, involving the Qatar Research, Development and Innovation (QRDI) Council, the National Planning Council, and a range of other government entities and institutions. These efforts include developing programs and policies, strengthening cooperation across institutions, and improving the quality and comprehensiveness of national data. 

The Global Innovation Index assesses economies across seven pillars: Institutions, Human Capital and Research, Infrastructure, Market Sophistication, Business Sophistication, Knowledge and Technology Outputs, and Creative Outputs. The 2026 rankings draw on data from multiple reference years, so the result should not be read as reflecting a single year of performance.