Morocco Achieves Historic Leap in the Global Innovation Index and Strengthens Its Position as an Emerging Tech Hub
Morocco has taken a historic step in the 2025 Global Innovation Index, ranking 57th globally, its best-ever classification, and marking its first entry into the list of the top 60 innovative economies worldwide.
This progress, moving up nine spots since 2024, reflects the upward trajectory Morocco has experienced in recent years, rising from 75th place in 2020 to 57th out of 139 economies assessed. Additionally, it secured the fourth position among low-income countries and the eighth in North Africa and West Asia.
Economic Transformation Driven by Innovation
The report highlights that this result reflects the structural transformation of the Moroccan economy, shifting from a model reliant on primary resources and low-cost production to high-value-added sectors led by innovation, technology, and intangible capital.
Morocco ranks 77th for innovation inputs and 51st for outputs, demonstrating high efficiency in converting investments into tangible results in research, technology, and creativity.
It stands 12th globally in high-tech industry, which accounts for nearly 50% of its industrial output, and remains among the top 10 countries worldwide in terms of registered industrial designs relative to GDP.
Strong Indicators on the Rise
Morocco also excelled in several areas:
- 16th globally in education expenditure,
- 24th in labor productivity growth,
- 26th in trademark registrations and intangible asset density.
These indicators reflect the strong rise of the Moroccan private sector in creating intangible value, through the development of strong brands and better integration into global value chains.
A Country Exceeding Expectations
The 2025 report classified Morocco as an “Innovation Overperformer,” meaning its outcomes exceed what would typically be expected given its level of development. Thus, Morocco joins a group of dynamic emerging economies such as India, Vietnam, Brazil, and Indonesia.
However, the report urged the kingdom to strengthen its investments in research and development, enhance collaboration between universities, research centers, and companies, and accelerate the establishment of a robust innovation ecosystem to ensure the sustainability of its gains.
Global Rankings
Globally, Switzerland topped the index, followed by Sweden, the United States, South Korea, and Singapore. The United Kingdom, Finland, the Netherlands, Denmark, and China (making its first appearance in the top ten) rounded out the top 10.
The report, now in its 18th edition, is based on approximately 80 indicators covering diverse fields, from investment in research and development to venture capital flows, as well as technological exports and intellectual property protection.
