Germany Has Seven Regions in the Global Top 100

Global Innovation Index 2026 Germany Has Seven Regions in the Global Top 100

2026-09-09 Source: DPMA | Translated by AI 2 min Reading Time

Related Vendors

SIMTOS (Seoul International Machine Tool Show)

According to the latest “Global Innovation Index” from the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Germany remains among the world’s leaders in innovation. With seven regional clusters in the global top 100, Germany ranks third worldwide behind China and the United States. The Munich area is once again the leader in Germany.

Strong Across the Board: Germany Once Again Has Seven Regions Ranked Among the World's Top 100 Innovation Clusters.(Source: / Pixabay) — Strong Across the Board: Germany Once Again Has Seven Regions Ranked Among the World's Top 100 Innovation Clusters.
(Source: / Pixabay)

In a global comparison of innovation capacity, Germany stands out in particular for its decentralized strength. This is shown by the preliminary data on the top 100 innovation clusters published by WIPO on September 8, 2026.While China, with 25 clusters, and the U.S., with 20, dominate the ranking, Germany holds its ground as the third-strongest force (7 clusters) —leaving industrialized nations such as the United Kingdom and India (4 each) as well as Japan and South Korea (3 each) behind. At the very top of the global rankings are primarily Asian and U.S. metropolitan regions. The Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou cluster takes first place, followed by Tokyo-Yokohama and San Jose-San Francisco. Next in line are Seoul, Beijing, Shanghai-Suzhou, and New York City.

Munich and Berlin Lead the German Field

The highest-ranked German region remains Munich at No. 28 (previous year: 27). In a Europe-wide comparison, the Bavarian metropolis thus secures third place behind Paris and Amsterdam-Rotterdam.
Particularly noteworthy: When innovation capacity is measured relative to population size, Munich even jumps to a strong 15th place in the global comparison. Close behind is Berlin at number 31 (previous year: 30). The German capital scores particularly well in the WIPO ranking due to its strength in venture capital transactions.
An overview of the other German rankings: Cologne: 47th place (previous year: 43), Stuttgart: 54th place (previous year: 54), Frankfurt am Main: 68th place (previous year: 64), Heidelberg-Mannheim: 88th place (previous year: 87) – scores particularly well in scientific publications, Hamburg: 93rd place (previous year: 91).

DPMA Supports SMEs and Launches a Roadshow

“The fact that Germany has the most innovation clusters in the top 100 after China and the U.S. is a remarkable achievement. It clearly shows that we have highly innovative companies and outstanding research institutions in many regions of our country,” said Eva Schewior, President of the German Patent and Trademark Office (DPMA).
To further build on this decentralized strength, the DPMA is launching an innovation roadshow at eight locations in 2026. The goal: To provide small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in particular with practical knowledge about patents, utility models, trademarks, and designs so they can legally protect their inventions and turn them into economic success.

Subscribe to the newsletter now

Don't Miss out on Our Best Content

Business E-mail

Please enter a valid mailadress.

By clicking on „Subscribe to Newsletter“ I agree to the processing and use of my data according to the consent form (please expand for details) and accept the Terms of Use. For more information, please see our Privacy Policy. The consent declaration relates, among other things, to the sending of editorial newsletters by email and to data matching for marketing purposes with selected advertising partners (e.g., LinkedIn, Google, Meta)

Date: 08.12.2025

Naturally, we always handle your personal data responsibly. Any personal data we receive from you is processed in accordance with applicable data protection legislation. For detailed information please see our privacy policy.

Consent to the use of data for promotional purposes

I hereby consent to Vogel Communications Group GmbH & Co. KG, Max-Planck-Str. 7-9, 97082 Würzburg including any affiliated companies according to §§ 15 et seq. AktG (hereafter: Vogel Communications Group) using my e-mail address to send editorial newsletters. A list of all affiliated companies can be found here

Newsletter content may include all products and services of any companies mentioned above, including for example specialist journals and books, events and fairs as well as event-related products and services, print and digital media offers and services such as additional (editorial) newsletters, raffles, lead campaigns, market research both online and offline, specialist webportals and e-learning offers. In case my personal telephone number has also been collected, it may be used for offers of aforementioned products, for services of the companies mentioned above, and market research purposes.

Additionally, my consent also includes the processing of my email address and telephone number for data matching for marketing purposes with select advertising partners such as LinkedIn, Google, and Meta. For this, Vogel Communications Group may transmit said data in hashed form to the advertising partners who then use said data to determine whether I am also a member of the mentioned advertising partner portals. Vogel Communications Group uses this feature for the purposes of re-targeting (up-selling, cross-selling, and customer loyalty), generating so-called look-alike audiences for acquisition of new customers, and as basis for exclusion for on-going advertising campaigns. Further information can be found in section “data matching for marketing purposes”.

In case I access protected data on Internet portals of Vogel Communications Group including any affiliated companies according to §§ 15 et seq. AktG, I need to provide further data in order to register for the access to such content. In return for this free access to editorial content, my data may be used in accordance with this consent for the purposes stated here. This does not apply to data matching for marketing purposes.

Right of revocation

I understand that I can revoke my consent at will. My revocation does not change the lawfulness of data processing that was conducted based on my consent leading up to my revocation. One option to declare my revocation is to use the contact form found at https://contact.vogel.de. In case I no longer wish to receive certain newsletters, I have subscribed to, I can also click on the unsubscribe link included at the end of a newsletter. Further information regarding my right of revocation and the implementation of it as well as the consequences of my revocation can be found in the data protection declaration, section editorial newsletter.