Brussels (TDI): Sweden has reclaimed its position as the European Union’s most innovative country, according to the latest edition of the European Innovation Scoreboard 2025, released by the European Commission.
After trailing Denmark for the past two years, Sweden now tops the innovation rankings once again, with Stockholm named the most innovative region in Europe.
Analysts credit the country’s success to a combination of long-standing investments in research and a highly engaged private sector that prioritizes innovation.
“Innovation remains central to Sweden’s economic strategy, not just to stay competitive, but also to meet major global challenges like climate change,” a senior Swedish government official said in response to the announcement.
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Sweden was one of the few EU countries with more than one region in the scoreboard’s top ten. Stockholm took the number one spot, while West Sweden and Southern Sweden ranked ninth and tenth, respectively.
North-Central Sweden, meanwhile, made significant progress and has now been upgraded to a “strong innovator.”
The Regional Innovation Scoreboard, which accompanies the main report, highlights how well individual regions perform on innovation-related indicators such as R&D spending, patent activity, and tech sector growth.
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The European Innovation Scoreboard (EIS) is an annual assessment that compares the innovation capabilities of EU member states and several partner countries.
The 2025 edition was published on July 15 and includes a revised indicator framework following a recent methodology update.
Farkhund Yousafzai is an Associate Editor at The Diplomatic Insight.
