Cyprus ranks among the top countries in the world in the field of innovation this year, and more specifically in 25th place, according to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Global Innovation Index (GII) Report for 2025.
Commenting on the development, Deputy Minister of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy, Dr. Nicodemos Damianou said, “We are particularly pleased with Cyprus’ continued upward trajectory in the Global Innovation Index, which highlights the dynamics and prospects of our ecosystem. These results confirm that, despite our small size, Cyprus can overcome its structural challenges and become a regional hub of innovation, creativity and technological development. This progress encourages us to continue with targeted policies that invest in research, innovation, entrepreneurship and our human capital.”
A relevant statement from the Deputy Minister of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy meanwhile, said, "Moving up two places compared to 2024 and continuing the upward trend of recent years, Cyprus occupies the 25th place among 139 economies, while it is included in the category of 'Innovation Leaders', that is, countries that achieve higher than expected performance, based on their level of development."
Cyprus maintains its second position in the North Africa and West Asia region, following Israel, the statement went on to say, continuing that, "It is noted that this strong position of Cyprus is achieved in a dynamic and highly competitive region, where 14 out of 18 economies improved their position in 2025. It is also worth noting that Cyprus ranks 16th worldwide in innovation results, which demonstrates how investments in innovation are transformed into simple products and services, with an impact on the economy and society."
The Deputy Ministry's statement also pointed that Cyprus is among the countries with the most firsts in individual GII indicators, alongside global powers such as the USA, Israel, China and Singapore. "Specifically, it ranks first in the creation of mobile applications, in exports of cultural and creative services, in exports and imports of ICT services, as well as in the co-participation of venture capital investors, as a sign of the international community's increased confidence in the Cypriot innovation ecosystem."
"The dynamic of the ecosystem is also highlighted by other indicators in which Cyprus performs particularly well, such as second place in industrial projects, fifth place in net inflows of Foreign Direct Investment and eighth place in attracting foreign students. Also significant is the 11th place in the sphere of creative outcomes, which underlines Cyprus's prospects in the fields of creativity and culture," the statement went on to note.
Areas listed in the Report as areas for improvement include high-tech imports, the scale of the domestic market and the percentage of graduates in science and engineering, while the need to further strengthen financing for start-ups and growing businesses, the Deputy Ministry acknowledged.
