GD Topic - Global Innovation Index 2024: India Jumps from 81st to 39th Rank in 9 Years
With MBA entrance exams going on, candidates planning to get admitted to one of the Top B-schools in the MBA programme must prepare well for the Group Discussion Round. Candidates must keep themselves up-to-date on what's happening around the world as the GD topic can be related to current affairs, business trends, or abstract concepts. Check out the below article for India's Rank in the Global Innovation Index 2024.
India Rise to 39th position in Global Innovation Index 2024
India has achieved a remarkable milestone in the Global Innovation Index 2024, ranking 39th among 133 global economies. The ranking marks a significant leap of 42 positions in 9 years (India ranked 81st in GII 2015). The Global Innovation Index, compiled by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in collaboration with Cornell University and INSEAD Business School, evaluates each country’s innovation capabilities through a comprehensive framework comprising different indicators grouped into innovation inputs and outputs.
The Global Innovation Index (GII) is calculated based on three indices: the overall GII, the Innovation Input Sub-Index, and the Innovation Output Sub-Index (Appendix I).
- The Overall GII Score is the average of the Input and Output Sub-Indices’ scores.
- The Innovation Input Sub-Index consists of five pillars capturing the elements of the national economy that enable innovative activities. These include Institutions, Human Capital and Research, Infrastructure, Market Sophistication, and Business Sophistication.
- The Innovation Output Sub-Index provides information about outputs, reflecting the results of the innovative activities. There are two output pillars: Knowledge and Technology Outputs, and Creative Outputs.
Each pillar has three sub-pillars, and each sub-pillar comprises individual indicators, totaling roughly 80 indicators in 2024.
India’s Position at Global Innovation Index (GII) 2024
India has jumped 42 spots in the Global Innovation Index (GII) since 2015 and now ranks 39th according to the latest GII report released on September 27, 2024 (Thursday). This remarkable leap in India’s position shows its progress in fostering an innovative ecosystem. India has shown tremendous improvement since 2020. This can be seen in the below table.
| Year |
GII Position |
Innovation Input |
Innovation Output |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 |
48th |
57th |
45th |
| 2021 |
46th |
57th |
45th |
| 2022 |
40th |
42nd |
39th |
| 2023 |
40th |
46th |
35th |
| 2024 |
39th |
44th |
33rd |
According to the index which assesses economies based on factors contributing to innovation, India came at the top among the 38 lower-middle-income economies, which shows India’s growing leadership in innovation, especially in developing countries.
Here is the list of the Top Three Innovation Economies by Income Group
| High Income |
Upper Middle-Income |
Lower Middle-Income |
Low-Income |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Switzerland |
1. China |
1. India |
1. Rwanda |
| 2. Sweden |
2. Malaysia |
2. Vietnam |
2. Togo |
| 3. United States |
3. Turkey |
3. Philippines |
3. Uganda |
Besides achieving the top position among the lower-middle-income economies, India has also ranked 1st among the 10 economies in Central and Southern Asia.
| GII Rank |
Economy |
Income Group Rank |
Region Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 39 |
India |
1 |
1 |
| 64 |
Iran (Islamic Republic of) |
5 |
2 |
| 78 |
Kazakhstan |
22 |
3 |
| 83 |
Uzbekistan |
10 |
4 |
| 89 |
Sri Lanka |
12 |
5 |
| 91 |
Pakistan |
14 |
6 |
| 99 |
Kyrgyzstan |
18 |
7 |
| 106 |
Bangladesh |
22 |
8 |
| 107 |
Tajikistan |
23 |
9 |
| 109 |
Nepal |
24 |
10 |
India has also excelled in specific areas, with notable strengths in:
- ICT Service Exports: Ranked 1st globally
- Venture Capital Received: Ranked 6th
- Intangible Asset Intensity: Ranked 7th
- Unicorn Companies: Ranked 8th globally
India’s four major Science and Technology (S&T) clusters—Bengaluru, Delhi, Chennai, and Mumbai—remain in the top 100 globally. These cities are hubs for research, development, and technological advancements:
| Rank |
Cluster Name |
Top Patent Field |
Top Academic Subject |
|---|---|---|---|
| 56 |
Bengaluru |
Digital Communication |
Chemistry |
| 63 |
Delhi |
Computer Technology |
Engineering |
| 82 |
Chennai |
Transport |
Engineering |
| 84 |
Mumbai |
Computer Technology |
Chemistry |
India's Position at Global Innovation Index 2024: Challenges and the Road Ahead
Despite the impressive jump, India faces several challenges in maintaining and accelerating its innovation momentum. After experiencing a boom during COVID (2020-2022), the Global R&D Growth has slowed to 3% and venture capital investments have declined by 39%. These trends, compounded by macroeconomic challenges such as sluggish economic growth and reduced funding for innovation, underscore the need for sustained efforts to strengthen the innovation ecosystem.
India’s rank of 54 in institutions and business sophistication indicates room for improvement in areas like regulatory frameworks, ease of doing business, and fostering greater industry-academia collaboration. Enhancing infrastructure and addressing gaps in creative outputs (rank 43) will also be critical for long-term success.
Top Group Discussion (GD) Topics for MBA GD/PI Round
Below listed are some of the important GD Topics for reference.
- Importance of Statue of Unity
- Citizenship Amendment Act - What and Why
- Making Aadhaar mandatory is not a good idea- for or against
- Implications of CAA-NCR
- Cashless Economy – Is India ready for it?
- All you need to know about Right To Information
- How can we control banking frauds to reduce NPAs?
- Statue of Unity - Symbol of Pride or Wastage of Public Money?
- Rural vs Urban India
- Environment and us
- Self Motivation
- First impression is the last impression
- Funding Democracy: Are Electoral Bonds a Boon or Bane?
- Quick Commerce: A Step Toward Progress or a Wasteful Luxury?
- Crime Against Women in India: Who Bears the Responsibility?
- Innovation Vs Invention: What does the world need?
- PM Internship Scheme: How Effective is it in Enhancing Youth Employability?
- Job Reservation in Private Sector: A Boon or a Barrier?
- Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS): Reforming Criminal Law for Better or Worse?
- Electric Vehicles (EVs) in India: Dream or Reality?
- India’s Historic Performance at the Paris Paralympics 2024
Nupur is an experienced content writer with a specialized focus on Commerce students. Over the past three years, she has crafted engaging and insightful materials to help learners excel in their studies. Outside of ... Read Full Bio