Published: November 15, 2026
Key Facts
- Mauritius leads Africa in innovation with a score of 34.1. The ranking is WIPO's Global Innovation Index 2026, released 29 September 2026. Mauritius ranks 50th in the world, breaking into the global top 50.
- No African country reaches the global top 49. Switzerland leads the world at 66.7, for the 16th year in a row. The average score of Africa's top ten is 27.36, only 41 percent of Switzerland's score.
- Nigeria, Africa's biggest economy, ranks 118th in the world and 18th in Africa, with a score of 19.1. It sits 68 places behind Mauritius in the world ranking.
- Seven of the top ten improved their world rank since 2025. Rwanda climbed the most, up eight places. South Africa and Senegal slipped, and Ghana held its place.
- Seychelles, fourth in Africa in 2025, does not appear in the 2026 edition at all. WIPO did not cover it this year, so it is not ranked last. It is simply not in the index.
| Rank | Country | GII score | World rank | Change vs 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mauritius | 34.1 | 50 | Up 3 |
| 2 | Morocco | 32.8 | 54 | Up 3 |
| 3 | South Africa | 30.9 | 63 | Down 2 |
| 4 | Tunisia | 29.3 | 71 | Up 5 |
| 5 | Botswana | 27.1 | 82 | Up 5 |
| 6 | Egypt | 26.1 | 83 | Up 3 |
| 7 | Senegal | 24.4 | 90 | Down 1 |
| 8 | Rwanda | 23.3 | 96 | Up 8 |
| 9 | Kenya | 23.0 | 97 | Up 5 |
| 10 | Ghana | 22.6 | 101 | No change |
Source: World Intellectual Property Organization, Global Innovation Index 2026, released 29 September 2026. Scores run from 0 to 100. Higher is better. Namibia just misses the top ten at 22.5, in 102nd place in the world. Cabo Verde is next at 22.4, in 103rd place.
The top ten scores add up to 273.6, an average of 27.36. The top two, Mauritius and Morocco, score 66.9 combined. That is about the same as Switzerland alone, at 66.7. The top three score 97.8 combined, about 42 percent more than the bottom three, at 68.9. The gap from first to tenth is 11.5 points. The gap from tenth to Nigeria is only 3.5 points. North Africa holds three places, West Africa holds two, and East Africa holds two. The other three are South Africa, Botswana and the island nation of Mauritius.
1. Mauritius, 34.1
Mauritius leads Africa for another year, and this time it breaks into the global top 50. Its score of 34.1 puts it 50th in the world, up from 53rd in 2025. WIPO points to Mauritius as a small economy that diversified through services. The island is the only African economy in the global top 50. It scores 1.51 times Ghana, the country in tenth place.
2. Morocco, 32.8
Morocco ranks 54th in the world, its best rank ever in the index. It climbs three places from 57th in 2025. WIPO counts Morocco among the fastest climbers of the past decade. Morocco leads North Africa. Its score of 32.8 is only 1.3 points behind Mauritius.
3. South Africa, 30.9
South Africa is third in Africa and 63rd in the world, down two places from 61st in 2025. It is the top ranked mainland economy in Sub-Saharan Africa. The result jars with its economic weight. South Africa is the continent's biggest economy by GDP, as our ranking of African economies showed, yet it trails two much smaller economies here.
4. Tunisia, 29.3
Tunisia ranks 71st in the world, up five places from 76th in 2025. Its score of 29.3 puts it 1.6 points behind South Africa. Tunisia is the second North African country in the top ten. It also ranks fifth in Africa on human development, as our ranking of African countries by human development showed.
5. Botswana, 27.1
Botswana ranks 82nd in the world, up five places from 87th in 2025. Its score of 27.1 leads Egypt by exactly 1.0 point. Botswana is one of three Southern African entries in the top ten, with South Africa and Mauritius. It is an upper middle income economy, like South Africa and Mauritius.
6. Egypt, 26.1
Egypt ranks 83rd in the world, up three places from 86th in 2025. Its score of 26.1 is the third North African entry in the top ten. Egypt is the most populous country in the top ten, with well over 100 million people. Size has not lifted it past Botswana, a country of about two and a half million people.
7. Senegal, 24.4
Senegal ranks 90th in the world, down one place from 89th in 2025. It is one of only two countries in the top ten that slipped this year, with South Africa. Its score of 24.4 is 1.7 points behind Egypt. Senegal is the first of two West African entries in the top ten.
8. Rwanda, 23.3
Rwanda is the biggest mover in the top ten. It jumps eight places, from 104th in 2025 to 96th in the world. Its score is 23.3. Rwanda is the only low income economy in the top ten. WIPO names Rwanda as the leader of its income group, with Switzerland, China and India leading the other groups.
9. Kenya, 23.0
Kenya ranks 97th in the world, up five places from 102nd in 2025. Its score of 23.0 is only 0.3 points behind Rwanda. Kenya is the second East African entry in the top ten. It also appears in our ranking of Africa's cheapest mobile data, at $0.59 per gigabyte, which fits a country that builds its tech sector on the phone.
10. Ghana, 22.6
Ghana takes the last place in the top ten at 22.6, ranked 101st in the world. It is the only country in the top ten that did not move, holding 101st place in both 2025 and 2026. The margin is the thinnest in the table. Ghana edges Namibia by only 0.1 points, with Namibia at 22.5 in 102nd place.
The giants left behind
Nigeria is the story of this ranking. Africa's biggest economy sits 18th in Africa, at 118th in the world with a score of 19.1. Mauritius scores 1.79 times Nigeria. Nigeria trails Ghana, the country in tenth place, by 3.5 points. A big economy does not always mean a strong innovation system.
Algeria sits 14th in Africa, at 111th in the world with 20.5. Ethiopia, the continent's second most populous country, ranks 133rd in the world at 15.7. DR Congo ranks 137th at 12.6. Chad sits last of all 139 economies, at 9.5. WIPO says Sub-Saharan Africa shows some of the year's most encouraging momentum, but the gap to the world leaders is still wide. The top ten scores combined, at 273.6, are barely more than four Switzerlands, at 266.8, and Switzerland alone scores 66.7.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most innovative country in Africa in 2026?
Mauritius, with a Global Innovation Index score of 34.1. It ranks 50th in the world, the best result ever for an African country. Morocco is second in Africa at 32.8, and South Africa is third at 30.9.
Where does Nigeria rank in the Global Innovation Index 2026?
Nigeria ranks 118th in the world, with a score of 19.1. That puts it 18th in Africa, 68 places behind Mauritius in the world ranking. Mauritius scores 1.79 times Nigeria.
Why is Seychelles missing from the 2026 innovation ranking?
Seychelles is not covered in the Global Innovation Index 2026. It ranked 75th in the world and fourth in Africa in the 2025 edition, but WIPO did not include it this year. It is not ranked last. It is simply not in the index, and this article does not guess where it would have placed.
How does the Global Innovation Index score countries?
The index takes the simple average of two parts. The Innovation Input Sub-Index covers five pillars: institutions, human capital and research, infrastructure, market sophistication and business sophistication. The Innovation Output Sub-Index covers two pillars: knowledge and technology outputs, and creative outputs. The 2026 edition uses about 79 indicators across 139 economies.
Which African country improved the most in the 2026 ranking?
Rwanda, up eight places, from 104th in 2025 to 96th in the world. Tunisia, Botswana and Kenya each climbed five places. Seven of the top ten improved their world rank, while South Africa and Senegal slipped and Ghana held its place.
Data Sources
- World Intellectual Property Organization, Global Innovation Index 2026, executive version (released 29 September 2026): Global Innovation Index 2026 rankings
- World Intellectual Property Organization, GII 2026 Africa regional brief: Innovation performance of Africa in the GII 2026
- World Intellectual Property Organization, press release, 29 September 2026: WIPO Global Innovation Index 2026
- Wikipedia, Global Innovation Index (2026 and 2025 ranking tables): Global Innovation Index
- Ecofin Agency, Global Innovation Index 2025 Africa results: Global Innovation Stalls, but Africa Gains in WIPO's 2025 GII Index
Methodology
This ranking uses the Global Innovation Index 2026 from the World Intellectual Property Organization, released 29 September 2026. It is the latest edition available. It covers 139 economies. The score runs from 0 to 100. It is the simple average of the Innovation Input Sub-Index and the Innovation Output Sub-Index, built from about 79 indicators. All ten rows use this single edition. No mixed vintages are used.
The 2025 ranks in the table come from the Global Innovation Index 2025. WIPO warns that year on year rank changes are shaped by changes to the index model and to data availability, not by performance alone. The moves are shown as reported, with that warning in mind.
Seychelles is not ranked in this article. It ranked 75th in the world and fourth in Africa in the 2025 edition, but WIPO did not cover it in the 2026 edition. Benin and Nigeria both show a rounded score of 19.1. WIPO ranks Benin 117th and Nigeria 118th, separated on unrounded scores. Neither is in the top ten, so the tie does not affect this ranking. Ghana edges Namibia by 0.1 points for tenth place. Every derived claim in this article, including totals, averages and multiples, was recomputed by script from the table values above and matches.
This article is the first innovation ranking on this site for 2026. An earlier research pass used the 2025 edition of the index. The latest data rule required switching to the 2026 edition, released 29 September 2026, which changes the top ten: Seychelles drops out, Rwanda enters at eighth, and Namibia and Cabo Verde fall out.
