Europe’s innovation performance has risen by 11.6 percentage points since 2019, according to the 2026 European Innovation Scoreboard published by the European Commission.
The EU’s innovation performance increased by 1.7 percentage points between 2025 and 2026, after a rise of 0.5 percentage points the previous year, the Commission said in a release on Thursday.
All EU member states improved their scores over the period, though results varied widely between countries.
Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands again ranked as the EU’s top performers, scoring above the bloc’s average and retaining their status as “innovation leaders.”
Finland remained in fourth place, while Malta moved into the “strong innovator” category for countries scoring between 100% and 125% of the EU average.
Outside the EU, South Korea remained the bloc’s most innovative global competitor, followed by China, which recorded the biggest improvement in recent years.
How the Scoreboard works
The Innovation Scoreboard is an annual assessment comparing innovation performance across EU countries, neighbouring states and major global competitors, the Commission said.
It is based on 32 indicators, including education and digital infrastructure, public and private research and development investment, innovation activity such as patents and start-ups, and broader economic, environmental and social impacts.
Georgia was included for the first time this year, reflecting what the Commission described as the expanded reach of Horizon Europe, its flagship research and innovation programme.
The bloc’s commissioner for start-ups, research and innovation, Ekaterina Zaharieva, said every member state had improved its performance since 2019 and that growth “is picking up again.”
