India jumps to 36th in UN Tech Readiness Index, ranks 10th in global AI investments

India has secured the 36th position out of 170 nations in the 2025 Technology and Innovation Report by UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD), improving from 48th in 2022. The Readiness for Frontier Technologies Index evaluates countries based on ICT deployment, skills, research and development (R&D), industrial capacity, and access to finance. India ranks 99th in ICT, 113th in skills, 3rd in R&D, 10th in industrial capacity, and 70th in finance.

The report highlights that Brazil, China, India, and the Philippines are among the top developing nations excelling in technology readiness. It states, “Developed countries lead the ranking, but some developing countries, notably Singapore, China, and India, hold prominent positions.” India has also improved in human capital, alongside Bhutan, Morocco, the Republic of Moldova, and Timor-Leste, due to increased schooling years and a rise in high-skill employment.

India ranks 10th in global AI private investment, attracting $1.4 billion in 2023, while China ranks second with $7.8 billion, and the US leads with $67 billion. The report notes that AI could impact 40% of jobs worldwide, leading to both productivity gains and concerns about automation-driven job displacement. AI investments remain concentrated in a few countries, with 100 firms in the US and China accounting for 40% of global corporate R&D spending.

India is among the leading AI developer nations, with 13 million developers, ranking behind the US and China on GitHub. The report states, “China and India have the world’s largest populations and, despite relatively low shares, can leverage a significant mass of AI developers, which puts them in favorable positions with respect to AI development and the production of AI-related scientific knowledge.” India and Brazil are also leading in GenAI project creation.

The India AI Mission, approved by the Union Cabinet in 2024, aims to strengthen the AI innovation ecosystem by reducing entry barriers and expanding AI education in small and medium-sized cities. India has established AI centers of excellence at institutions like IIT Hyderabad, IIT Kharagpur, and the Kotak IISc AI-ML Centre, alongside industry collaborations such as the National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM) Centre of Excellence in Data Science and AI.

India also ranks among the top 10 economies for cloud infrastructure services, alongside China, the US, Brazil, and Singapore. The report notes India's specialization in nanotechnology, while other nations focus on different technological fields—Germany in wind energy, Japan in electric vehicles, and South Korea in 5G technology. The report concludes that industrialization has played a crucial role in reducing poverty and driving economic growth in countries like Brazil, China, and India.