2026 International IP Index

The U.S. Chamber’s International IP Index (IP Index) serves as a comprehensive roadmap for economies aiming to enhance their innovation and creativity ecosystems through robust intellectual property (IP) standards.

The 14th IP Index evaluates intellectual property systems across 55 economies using 53 unique criteria, reflecting the evolving global IP landscape. The IP Index highlights actionable insights for economies to strengthen IP-driven innovation, foster creativity, and address emerging challenges in global IP protection.

The IP Index continues to guide world leaders by showcasing proven strategies to champion innovation and creativity domestically and globally. It provides a clear view of what is working, identifies areas for improvement, and outlines the steps needed to build a more innovative and prosperous future.

Top 5 Findings

The 2026 International IP Index reveals a growing erosion of IP leadership among some of the world’s most influential economies, creating renewed urgency for policymakers to reaffirm IP protection’s central role in driving innovation, competitiveness, and economic growth.

• Score declines were largely concentrated in high-income economies traditionally seen as global IP standard-setters, with scores in eight EU Member States declining.

• However, 20 economies improved their overall score, with the United Arab Emirates (+4.72%), Ecuador (2.81%), Malaysia (+1.42%), and Brunei (+1.42%) achieving the largest increases in overall score. This demonstrates that targeted reforms can still strengthen IP frameworks, even amid broader global stagnation.

• With 27 economies registering little or no improvement in 2026, the Index highlights a critical moment, as the failure of leading economies to course-correct risks normalizing weaker IP standards globally.

While trade agreements have been instrumental in strengthening IP protections and fostering economic growth worldwide, the effective implementation of countries’ IP commitments is fundamental to unlocking the benefits of stronger IP.

• Trade continues to underpin American economic growth, with U.S. services exports surplus contributing $1.4 trillion to the U.S. economy. IP-intensive industries alone account for 31% of the total value of U.S. services exports.

• Despite committing to strengthening IP protection through the Phase One Agreement, rights holders in China continue to face challenges securing patent term restoration and effective patent enforcement, addressing the inconsistent acceptance of supplemental data in patent filings, and doing business in China on fair, non-discriminatory, and equal terms.

• The review of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) creates a pivotal opportunity to address the outstanding implementation of Mexico’s IP commitments related to patent enforcement, patent term extension, regulatory data protection (RDP), and copyright protection. Likewise, Canada must fully implement the patent term adjustment mechanism required by USMCA.

The weakening of life sciences-related IP incentives threatens to undermine competitiveness and investment in some of the world’s leading economies.

• The EU’s General Pharmaceutical Legislation weakened the framework for IP protection and enforcement, discouraging investment at a time when Europe seeks to position itself as a global hub for life sciences.

• In China, the availability of patent term restoration (PTR) would depend on a first global launch in China, severely limiting the practical availability of PTR for foreign innovative companies.

• In the U.S., the imposition of Most-Favored Nations drug pricing and proposals to expand march-in rights created headwinds for the policy framework that sustains American life sciences innovation.

Copyright policy and enforcement continued to evolve across Index economies, with notable improvements in online enforcement offset by growing uncertainty related to digital piracy and remuneration rights.

• Several economies — including Brazil, Greece, Nigeria, Peru, and Poland — have implemented new laws or administrative measures to strengthen online anti‑piracy enforcement.

• At the same time, the rapid expansion of broad AI‑related policies created new ambiguities for both rights holders and AI developers.

• Despite modest overall improvements in category scores, many economies continue to struggle with high levels of online piracy and the lack of effective remedies to disable infringing content.

Across emerging markets, initiatives designed to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) leverage IP assets have grown, signaling increased government recognition of IP’s critical role in SME development.

• The scores improved for seven economies due to new IP-focused SME initiatives, marking the second-largest improvement among all Index indicators.

• These economies across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East introduced new programs focused on technical assistance, financial support, and assistance in commercializing IP assets.