India’s Tech Leap: Ranked 36th in UNCTAD’s Global Readiness Index 2025

India has made significant strides in harnessing emerging technologies, climbing to the 36th position in the UNCTAD Global Readiness for Frontier Technologies Index 2025, a notable jump from its 48th place in 2022. This progress underscores India’s growing strength in areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), nanotechnology, and research & development (R&D)—positioning the country as a global tech powerhouse despite its developing economy status.

According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), India is among a select group of developing nations outperforming expectations in tech adoption and innovation. From hosting the world’s second-largest developer base on GitHub to investing over $1.4 billion in private AI initiatives in 2023, India is paving the way toward a future driven by frontier technologies.

Table of Contents

• 🔍 Understanding the Global Readiness Index
• 🏆 India’s 2025 Ranking: Key Highlights
• 📊 Breakdown of India’s Performance
  • 💻 ICT Deployment
  • 🎓 Skill Development Challenges
  • 🔬 R&D and Innovation Capacity
  • 🏭 Industrial and Financial Infrastructure
• 🧠 India’s Role in Frontier Technologies
• 💰 Private Investment in AI
• 📈 Upskilling for the AI Future
• 🧭 India AI Mission and Strategic Policy Initiatives
• 🌏 Comparing India with Other Developing Nations
• ❓ FAQs About India’s Tech Readiness and AI Landscape
• 🔚 Conclusion: India’s Tech-Driven Future

🔍 Understanding the Global Readiness Index

The Global Readiness for Frontier Technologies Index, released by UNCTAD, evaluates a country’s ability to adopt and integrate frontier technologies such as AI, robotics, IoT, and nanotechnology. This readiness is measured across five key dimensions:

• ICT Deployment
• Skills and Human Capital
• Research and Development (R&D)
• Industrial Capacity
• Access to Finance

India’s leap from 48th to 36th globally in the 2025 report reflects its rising influence in the digital and tech innovation landscape, particularly as it balances rapid development with policy-driven modernization.

🏆 India’s 2025 Ranking: Key Highlights

While India excels in R&D and industrial infrastructure, its performance in ICT readiness and skills development reveals areas that still require significant policy attention.

📊 Breakdown of India’s Performance

💻 ICT Deployment

India’s ICT ranking stands at 99th, signaling that digital infrastructure and connectivity, especially in rural and semi-urban regions, need focused investment. High-speed internet access, fiber penetration, and 5G adoption are areas where India still lags behind global leaders.

🎓 Skill Development Challenges

Despite a booming youth population and expanding tech industry, India ranks 113th in human capital. This reflects challenges such as:

• Inadequate focus on digital literacy in rural education
• Gaps in STEM-based higher education
• A mismatch between industry requirements and graduate skillsets

However, improvements are underway. The country has shown progress in high-skill employment and average years of schooling, placing it in a cohort of developing nations—like Bhutan and Morocco—that are steadily advancing in human capital development.

🔬 R&D and Innovation Capacity

India’s standout performance in R&D (ranked 3rd globally) stems from:

• A strong network of national research institutions
• Government funding for AI, space, and biotech research
• Active collaboration between academia and industry

The innovation ecosystem is further strengthened by India’s growing presence in scientific publications and patents in AI, nanotech, and quantum computing.

🏭 Industrial and Financial Infrastructure

India ranks 10th in industrial capacity, showcasing its manufacturing potential and progress in defense, electronics, and pharmaceuticals. However, with a 70th ranking in financial access, the country still struggles with limited funding pipelines for startups and deep-tech ventures—especially outside major metro areas.

🧠 India’s Role in Frontier Technologies

India’s emergence as a global tech hub is particularly evident in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Generative AI (GenAI). With over 13 million developers, India holds the second-largest developer base on GitHub, trailing only the United States. This massive talent pool contributes actively to cutting-edge AI applications, open-source collaborations, and enterprise-level solutions.

🔍 AI and GenAI Contributions

• AI Research & Publications: India ranks among the top contributors to global AI research, publishing peer-reviewed papers in areas like natural language processing and machine learning.
• Generative AI Projects: Indian startups and institutions are increasingly contributing to GenAI applications in healthcare, education, finance, and language translation.
• Developer Ecosystem: India’s growing AI developer base plays a key role in building tools for local languages, inclusive technology, and scalable AI solutions for emerging markets.

💰 Private Investment in AI

India ranks 10th globally in private investment in AI, attracting USD 1.4 billion in 2023 alone. While still trailing behind tech giants like China and the US, this figure reflects:

• Rising investor confidence in India’s AI startups.
• A focus on AI applications in fintech, agritech, and health tech.
• Strategic interest from global venture capital firms and public-private partnerships.

📈 Upskilling for the AI Future

As AI continues to transform industries, the UNCTAD report highlights a growing need for reskilling and upskilling India’s workforce. Key developments include:

• AI & Tech Courses in Schools and Universities
• Online Learning Platforms like NPTEL and SWAYAM
• Vocational Training under Digital India and Skill India Missions

These efforts are critical to ensuring that India’s youth are equipped with future-ready skills and that job displacement due to automation is countered with new opportunities.

🧭 India AI Mission and Strategic Policy Initiatives

India’s AI vision is backed by strong government initiatives, particularly the India AI Mission launched to:

• Democratize access to AI education across cities and towns.
• Support startups working on AI for social good.
• Build ethical AI frameworks for privacy, security, and inclusion.

These efforts reflect a broader push to make AI not just a tool of economic growth, but a driver of inclusive digital empowerment.

🌏 Comparing India with Other Developing Nations

India’s leap in global tech readiness is part of a broader trend where developing countries are punching above their economic weight in the tech domain.

This outperformance, despite relatively low per capita GDPs, shows how strategic investment and digital ambition can help emerging economies leapfrog traditional development models.

❓ FAQs About India’s Tech Readiness and AI Landscape

1. What is the Global Readiness for Frontier Technologies Index?
   It’s an annual index by UNCTAD that evaluates how prepared countries are to adopt and scale frontier technologies like AI, robotics, IoT, and nanotech.
2. Why is India’s ranking significant in 2025?
   India jumped from 48th to 36th, showcasing significant growth in research, industrial capability, and AI development despite lower ICT and skills rankings.
3. What are India’s biggest strengths in tech readiness?
   India excels in R&D (ranked 3rd globally), industrial capacity (10th), and has the second-largest GitHub developer base, reflecting its growing digital talent.
4. What are the key challenges India faces?
   India struggles with ICT infrastructure (99th) and human capital development (113th), particularly in rural areas and lower education levels.
5. What is the India AI Mission?
   A government initiative to build a robust AI ecosystem through inclusive education, startup support, and ethical AI policy frameworks.

🔚 Conclusion: India’s Tech-Driven Future

India’s improved ranking in the UNCTAD Global Readiness Index 2025 is a strong indicator of its evolving digital potential. With strengths in R&D, AI innovation, and industrial growth, India is emerging as a key driver of frontier technologies in the Global South.

However, sustained progress will depend on:

• Strengthening digital infrastructure.
• Enhancing education and skills.
• Bridging the urban-rural tech divide.
• Fostering a startup-friendly funding ecosystem.

India is not just adapting to the future—it is helping to shape it.

📢 Call-to-Action

Explore more about India’s rise in the global tech landscape and its strategic digital missions on GK360.in—your destination for updates, insights, and deep dives into India’s transformation through technology.

Key Takeaways Table