Although classified as a Moderate Innovator, the country has been approaching the EU average, but still faces structural challenges in private investment in R&D and venture capital, according to the National Innovation Agency (ANI).

At the European level, the EU average is 112.6%, having registered a slight drop of 0.4 percentage points between 2024 and 2025. This decline highlights a stagnation in innovation consolidation, despite the sustained progress of several Member States. Sweden leads the ranking with 155.5%, followed in the top five by the Nordic countries: Denmark, the Netherlands, Finland, and Ireland, which maintain their Innovation Leader status.

In Portugal, the strong performance is mainly due to public support for corporate R&D—where it leads the EU with 185.8% of the European average—as well as the dynamic sales of new innovations, progress in digitalization, and the growth of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) specialists. Lisbon stands out regionally as a Strong Innovator with 109.6%, while the Central region reaches the Moderate+ category with 90.1%. All Portuguese regions have shown sustainable growth since 2018.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, countries such as Poland, Slovakia, Latvia, Bulgaria, and Romania are in the Emerging Innovators group, with scores well below the EU average (less than 70%), reflecting significant structural challenges in productivity, high-tech exports, and stimulating private investment in innovation.