The Sultanate of Oman has advanced five positions in the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2025, reaching 69th place out of 139 countries. The annual report — published by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in partnership with Cornell University and INSEAD — benchmarks national innovation performance across multiple pillars and indicators.
Key Areas of Progress
Oman recorded notable improvements across several core indicators in the 2025 GII:
- Patents: Jumped from 98th in 2024 to 38th in 2025 — an advance of 60 ranks.
- Business Sophistication: Improved from 86th to 63rd globally.
- High-Tech Manufacturing: Rose from 71st to 49th.
- Infrastructure: Moved up from 63rd to 55th.
- Institutions: Advanced from 43rd to 40th.
Sub-Indicators Where Oman Ranked in the Global Top 20
- 9th — Development of economic clusters
- 10th — Policy stability for business practices
- 12th — Graduates in science and engineering fields
- 14th — Net foreign direct investment inflows
- 15th — Access to ICT (information and communication technology)
- 16th — Electricity production (kWh per million people)
Why This Matters
The GII gains highlight Oman’s ongoing efforts to strengthen its innovation ecosystem — improving research outputs, industry sophistication, and infrastructure that attract investment. The results underscore the Sultanate’s alignment with the strategic goals of Oman Vision 2040 and reinforce its standing on the global competitiveness map as an emerging hub for knowledge-driven growth.
