Frequently Asked Questions

The GII is an international innovation competitiveness report published annually by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Cornell University, and INSEAD since 2007.

The Global Innovation Index measures the innovation ecosystem of a country’s economy and provides insights into its strengths and weaknesses in innovation. Many countries use the GII to assess and enhance their innovation ecosystems, utilizing it as a reference in their economic plans and policies.

The GII framework is divided into two (2) Sub-Indexes: Innovation Input and Innovation Output. The details are as follows:

1. Innovation Input Sub-Index: Comprising five (5) pillars namely Institutions, Human capital and research, Infrastructure, Market sophistication, and Business sophistication.
2. Innovation Output Sub-Index: Comprising two (2) pillars namely Knowledge and technology outputs, and Creative outputs.

There are three (3) types of data used in GII data evaluation:

1. Quantitative/objective data/hard data: This includes data obtained from public and private sources such as UNESCO, WIPO, Thomson Reuters, and others.
2. Composite data/index: This comprises composite data from certain agencies and academic institutions such as the World Bank, UN Public Administration Network (UNPAN), International Telecommunication Union, and others.
3. Qualitative data/survey/soft data: These are data obtained from surveys such as the Executive Opinion Survey conducted by the World Economic Forum, the Malaysian Productivity Corporation, and others.

The Innovation Input Sub-Index refers to factors that influence a country’s ability to innovate, such as human resources, research and development, and infrastructure. The Innovation Output Sub-Index refers to the outcomes produced by a country in the field of innovation, such as products and services, the export of high-technology products, and patents.

Switzerland is the most innovative country in the world for 12 consecutive years followed by the United States, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.

1. Analyzing the performance of the innovation ecosystem in 132 countries.
2. Offering a framework based on seven cores for each country to enhance their respective innovation ecosystems.c. Supplying benchmarks on policies and best practices from an innovation perspective to enhance a country’s competitiveness internationally.

Malaysia has made the GII a benchmark for measuring national innovation. Malaysia has been listed in the GII Report evaluation since 2007.

Malaysia does not contribute data directly to WIPO. The data used by WIPO is only taken from various sources of international organizations (such as reports and databases).

1. Provide a comprehensive overview of a country’s innovation ecosystem.
2. Information sources regarding best practices, benchmarking initiatives that have been implemented by innovation-leading countries and the latest innovation trends at the international level.
3. Source of information for international companies in the process of identifying suitable countries for them to make long-term investments.

1. The actual performance of the country involved;
2. Coordination of the GII framework;
3. Data updating, treatment of outliers and missing data; and
4. Countries involved in the assessment.

Malaysia’s performance in the GII has generally ranged between 32nd and 37th. The country’s best position was 32nd in 2012, 2013, and 2015, while the lowest position was 37th in 2017. However, the overall score decreased from 45.9% in 2012 to 38.7% in 2022. Malaysia’s score rose again to 40.9% in 2023

The country’s efficiency level, when measured by the quality of innovation, is comparable to that of high-income economies. However, it is low due to the lower production of innovation output relative to the level of innovation investment (input).

Data providers for the GII include ministries, agencies, departments, companies, and individuals who submit data to international rating bodies. The data supplied is of a quantitative nature. The data sources used by the publisher can be accessed through the Appendix in the GII Report

Yes, all ministries, agencies, and departments are involved in the GII. Those that have indicators and channel data directly to the GII are directly involved with the GII. However, other ministries, agencies, and departments also contribute indirectly, such as policy implementers who play a role in the national economic ecosystem.

The number of indicators assessed in the GII for the year 2022 is 81. The number of indicators may vary each year depending on the methodology adopted by WIPO for that year’s evaluation.

Any Information/data can be submitted to the following MOSTI officers:

1. Name: Mr. Muhamad Baihaqi bin Ibrahim
   Email : baihaqi@mosti.gov.my
   No. Tel.: 03-8885 8110
2. Name : Mr. Rudy Bin Nurdin
   Email : rudy@mosti.gov.my
   No. Tel.: 03-8885 8652

The GII ranking of a country is determined by taking into account the average score between the Innovation Input Sub-Index and the Innovation Output Sub-Index. It shows the extent to which the innovation input that is implemented affects the innovation output for a country.

The method used to measure the GII index is Weighted Average. The weights assigned to calculate the GII index are 0.5 and 1.0, depending on the type of indicator. For a detailed explanation, please refer to the GII Report Technical Notes.

Definitions for each indicator can be found in the Appendix- Sources and Definitions of the GII Report.

The number of economies/countries involved in the assessment may vary each year. In 2022, a total of 132 countries participated. A country is eligible for evaluation only if it has data coverage of at least 66% for the Innovation Input Sub-Index and 66% for the Innovation Output Sub-Index.

1. Ranking of the top 30 economies in 2025 (12th Malaysia Plan).
2. Ranking of the top 20 economies under the Knowledge and Technology Pillar in 2030 (MyDigital).
3. Achieve a score of 40-43 in the Performance of Key Performance Indicators for Chief Secretaries, Chief Directors, Federal and State Government Secretaries.

Owner and data contributor information for GII indicators will be periodically updated, and continuous monitoring will be conducted for initiatives identified to enhance the country’s performance in the GII. A ‘whole-of-government approach’ will be implemented to ensure cohesive cooperation and integrated information from all sectors.