Five Ranks Higher! But Behind this Statistical Success, a Challenge Remains, that of Making Innovation a Sustainable Economic and Social Force.
According to the 2025 edition of the Global Innovation Index (GII), published by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Tunisia has risen to 76th place out of 139 countries, gaining five ranks compared to 2024. With a score of 27.0, it has thus entered the top 80 innovative ecosystems in the world. This progress reflects a renewed dynamism, but it must be interpreted with caution.
Academic and Scientific Assets
The report highlights the country's strengths, starting with its human capital. Tunisia ranks second in the world for the proportion of graduates in science and engineering, and 17th for the production of scientific and technical articles. These indicators show that the higher education system, despite its limitations, remains capable of generating knowledge and training sought-after skills. WIPO also emphasizes that Tunisia appears as an efficient economy, able to convert limited inputs into higher-than-expected results.
Persistent Weaknesses
However, this progress masks structural weaknesses. The country remains far from leading economies, and its overall score remains relatively modest. The regulatory environment remains complex, access to financing remains difficult for start-ups and small businesses, and scientific research struggles to translate into commercializable innovations.
Intellectual property, for its part, is not sufficiently valued, which hinders the creation of value. In short, Tunisia produces knowledge but struggles to transform it into economic growth. Should we therefore rejoice or be discouraged? Tunisia's advance in the ranking is undoubtedly a reason for satisfaction, as it proves that our country is not out of touch with global trends.
But it should not mask the urgency of structural reforms. To transform this occasional improvement into a genuine dynamic, Tunisia must strengthen the bridges between universities and businesses, simplify financing mechanisms, better protect intellectual property, and create an environment favorable to creativity and risk-taking.
An Opportunity to Seize
The WIPO report reminds us that innovation systems are at a crossroads, between spectacular breakthroughs in artificial intelligence or quantum computing and a slowdown in investments. In this context, Tunisia has a card to play. It can capitalize on its scientific achievements to become a regional innovation hub, provided it transforms its academic assets into an economic engine.
It is only on this condition that the gain of five places in the ranking will cease to be a simple flutter and become the starting point for a sustainable trajectory.
Divergent Trajectories
Tunisia, ranked 76th globally in 2025 according to the Global Innovation Index, is in an intermediate position among emerging economies. Neighboring countries, such as Egypt (86th), Senegal (89th), Morocco (57th), and Namibia (91st), present varied trajectories that highlight the impact of public policies on innovation.
These advances are often the result of targeted reforms. Morocco, for example, has strengthened its investments in research and development (R&D) and improved its business environment to stimulate innovation. Namibia has, in turn, implemented policies favorable to entrepreneurship and invested in the training of its workforce to support local innovation.
On the other hand, Tunisia, despite its assets in human capital and scientific production, still struggles to transform these strengths into concrete results. Investments in R&D remain insufficient, and the entrepreneurial ecosystem lacks structural support. To bridge this gap, Tunisia could draw inspiration from the strategies of its neighbors: strengthening public-private partnerships, improving access to financing for start-ups, and investing in ongoing training to better adapt its human resources to the needs of the innovation market.
Transforming the Attempt
Ultimately, the real challenge for our country is not limited to climbing the rankings, but to placing innovation at the heart of its development project. Too often, young talents trained at great expense leave the country, attracted by better prospects abroad, depriving the nation of considerable potential.
To reverse this trend, it is not enough to rely on existing human capital. It is necessary to build an ecosystem where researchers, entrepreneurs, and investors meet, collaborate, and find real incentives to stay and create value locally. This requires strengthening incubators, encouraging public-private partnerships, and opening up markets to Tunisian start-ups.
Only such mobilization will allow the five ranks gained this year, entry into the top 80, and the country's solid positioning in science and engineering to be transformed into tangible forces. The good rankings that Tunisia is endowed with must not remain mere trophies on paper; they must become concrete levers for creating innovative businesses, creating jobs, and placing innovation at the heart of economic and social development.
