Tunisia, Egypt and South Africa have recorded strong positions in the 2026 Global Innovation Index published by the World Intellectual Property Organization. Tunisia ranked 71st globally, Egypt 83rd and South Africa 63rd.
Tunisia improved from 76th place in the previous edition. Its strongest area was human capital and research, where it ranked 45th globally. The country also ranked first worldwide for science and engineering graduates.
Egypt rose from 86th to 83rd place. Its position was supported by its large domestic market and research base. The country ranked 75th globally for innovation outputs, compared with 95th for innovation inputs.
South Africa was the second-highest-ranked economy in Sub-Saharan Africa, behind Mauritius. Mauritius ranked 50th globally, while South Africa placed 63rd, followed by Botswana at 82nd and Senegal at 90th. South Africa has been classified as an innovation overperformer for nine consecutive years.
Morocco remained the highest-ranked North African economy at 54th globally. WIPO said Morocco led the region’s innovation rise, while Algeria, Egypt and Tunisia also improved their positions.
The index assesses economies using indicators covering areas including institutions, human capital and research, infrastructure, business sophistication, knowledge and technology outputs, and creative outputs.
Tunisia’s performance in science and engineering education contributed to its overall ranking. Egypt’s position reflected its market size and research activity, while South Africa’s ranking placed it among the leading innovation economies in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The 2026 index covers 139 economies and tracks changes in innovation performance across regions and income groups.
