Mauritius, Morocco, and South Africa are the most innovative African countries in 2025, according to the ranking published by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in its report “Global Innovation Index 2025: Innovation at a Crossroads.”
The study analyzes innovation performance in 139 countries worldwide. It relies on 80 indicators grouped into seven pillars, ranging from institutions to human capital and research, as well as infrastructure, market and business sophistication, and knowledge, technology, and creativity outputs.
With a global rank of 53rd, Mauritius confirms its role as a regional leader. According to the report, the island relies on solid institutions, a strong educational system, and an investment-friendly policy that enhances its innovation capacity.
Morocco, ranked 57th, records its best performance ever. This progress is the result of sustained policies in renewable energy, industrialization, and digitalization. South Africa, for its part, occupies the 61st global position. It maintains its role as a regional driver thanks to its network of renowned universities and a highly active research and development ecosystem.
Meanwhile, Senegal (89th) stands out as an “overperformer” relative to its level of development, thanks notably to the vitality of its start-up ecosystem and the rise of venture capital. Namibia (91st) has also made notable progress, supported by investments in education and institutional reforms. Finally, Cape Verde (95th) is buoyed by the growth of mobile services and government initiatives promoting tech entrepreneurship, despite a relative decline in the global ranking compared to the previous year.
Although no African country has yet broken into the world’s Top 50, the report highlights positive signals. Several economies, such as Morocco, Senegal, and Namibia, show upward dynamics and strengthen the diversity of innovation drivers on the continent.
At the international level, Switzerland, Sweden, and the United States occupy the top three spots in the ranking, confirming their status as the world’s most innovative economies.
