Europe Strengthens Innovation Performance

Europe's innovation performance continues to improve, with the EU's overall score rising by 11.6 percentage points since 2019, according to the 2026 European Innovation Scoreboard (EIS). This result marks nearly a decade of steady growth, highlighting the resilience of Europe's innovation ecosystem in an increasingly competitive global environment.

Between 2025 and 2026, the EU's innovation performance improved by 1.7 percentage points, following a more modest increase of 0.5 percentage points in the previous year. While all EU Member States have shown progress, performance varies significantly from country to country. Sweden, Denmark, and the Netherlands once again lead the ranking, outperforming the EU average and retaining their status as ‘innovation leaders'. Finland maintains a strong, stable fourth position, while Malta has made remarkable progress, crossing the threshold to become a ‘strong innovator' (achieving 100–125% of the EU average).

Beyond the EU, South Korea remains the most innovative global competitor, followed by China, showing the largest improvement in recent years. This year's Scoreboard also welcomes Georgia for the first time, reflecting the expanded reach of Horizon Europe, the EU's flagship research and innovation program.

”Europe’s innovation engine has proved resilient. Every single Member State has improved its performance since 2019, and this year’s Scoreboard shows that growth is picking up again. But the global race is ever tougher, and we cannot afford to slow down. The Startup and Scaleup Strategy, EU Inc. and the upcoming European Innovation Act are our answer, building the conditions for Europe to lead in innovation for decades to come,” said Ekaterina Zaharieva, European Commissioner for Startups, Research, and Innovation.