The European Commission released the 2026 edition of the European Innovation Scoreboard (EIS), providing a comparative analysis of innovation performance for 27 EU member states, 13 neighbouring European countries and 11 global competitors. The analysis is based on a set of 32 indicators covering four dimensions, derived from Eurostat, the OECD and other statistical sources.  

The EIS 2026 categorises member states in four innovation groups based on their scores: Innovation Leaders (above 125% of the EU average), Strong Innovators (between 100% and 125% of the EU average), Moderate Innovators (between 70% and 100%) and Emerging Innovators (below 70%). 

This year’s findings highlight continuity with the trends reported in previous years (see ACA Newsletter – Education Europe, July 2025).  

• Europe continues to show a steady growth over time, having increased its innovation performance by 11.6% since 2019 and by 1.7% from 2025 to 2026, after a year of slower growth, although the pace of progress varies significantly across the Union.  
• In terms of countries performance in the EU, Sweden, Denmark, and the Netherlands continue to lead the way as Innovation Leaders, with innovation performance well above the EU average. Finland stays in a stable fourth position (although it has dropped from the group of Innovation Leaders to Strong Innovators this year). 
• Malta has made remarkable progress, surpassing for the first time the Strong Innovators threshold. 
• Croatia and Belgium also changed groups, moving down to the Emerging Innovators and to the Strong Innovators, respectively.  
• Switzerland ranks 1st in the extended ranking outperforming all EU member states. 
• On the global stage, South Korea remains the most innovative competitor. China, Canada, Australia and the United States also outperform the EU. Among global competitors, China, South Korea and Australia widened their lead of the EU in 2026. 

Source: European Commission: Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, European Innovation Scoreboard 2026 – Executive summary, Publications Office of the European Union, 2026, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2777/0125767