HIBAPRESS
Morocco has moved up three places in the Global Innovation Index for 2026, released today, Tuesday, by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), to secure the 54th position globally, achieving its best ranking ever.
This progress solidifies the Kingdom's upward trajectory in the index, having moved from 75th place in 2020 to 57th in 2025, before rising to 54th in this year's edition.
Morocco also ranked fourth among lower-middle-income economies and seventh in the North Africa and West Asia region.
The World Intellectual Property Organization highlighted that Morocco, along with China, India, Vietnam, Turkey, the Philippines, and Indonesia, is among the economies that have rapidly climbed the rankings over the past decade.
According to the organization, Morocco is leading the dynamic registered in North Africa, benefiting from a combination of industrial upgrading and the commercial valorization of intangible assets, from industrial designs and trademarks to high-tech activities.
In this regard, Morocco ranks fifth globally in industrial designs and models, eighth in the intensity of intangible assets, 13th in labor productivity growth, and 16th in trademarks.
It also holds the 22nd position in terms of policy stability for businesses, 23rd in the proportion of graduates in science and engineering disciplines, and 28th in the production of high-tech manufacturing industries.
This performance, according to the report, reflects a gradual shift in the Moroccan economy towards activities that are more dependent on technology and intangible capital, in addition to enhancing the added value of production.
At the level of innovation inputs, which include resources, investments, and conditions that enable innovation development, Morocco ranks 76th, compared to 46th in innovation outputs, which measure the results achieved in the fields of knowledge, technology, and creativity.
The difference between the two ranks indicates the Kingdom's ability to more efficiently transform resources allocated to innovation into tangible results.
The report noted that the progress of emerging economies in the rankings is also linked to their ability to connect national expertise with markets, through global value chains, trade in high-tech products and services, digital services, design, trademarks, intellectual property, and the activity of emerging enterprises.
To continue this path, the report emphasizes the importance of expanding research capabilities, strengthening research and development within companies, solidifying the links between science and industry, and increasing knowledge production at the national level.
It also recommends strengthening cooperation between universities and companies, developing research and development in the private sector, and improving access for emerging and expanding companies to funding sources, particularly venture capital.
The Global Innovation Index, published annually by WIPO, ranks 139 economies based on 79 indicators covering innovation inputs and outputs, including institutions, human capital, research, infrastructure, market and business sophistication, as well as knowledge, technology, and creative outputs.
