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Singapore Tops Asia-Pacific’s Most Innovative City Ranking — But Here’s the Real Debate
Singapore was recently ranked as the most innovative city in the Asia-Pacific region in Solidiance’s study, Most Innovative Cities in Asia Pacific. While the ranking highlights the city-state’s strong performance across key innovation indicators, it has also sparked debate: is Singapore truly innovative at a societal level, or primarily at an institutional and ecosystem level?
The distinction matters.
When discussing innovation, many cities generate emotional responses from residents and observers alike. Civic pride often blurs objective assessment. In Singapore’s case, the confusion is even greater because it is both a city and a nation. Evaluating “Singapore the city” versus “Singaporean society” requires nuance.
Singapore’s top ranking is not accidental. Over the past 25 years, the city-state has continuously reinvented itself — from a trading port to a manufacturing base, then to a high-tech and financial hub, and now into a leading innovation-driven economy. Its development reflects disciplined leadership, long-term planning, and relentless execution.
The city operates with a mindset of constant improvement. Rather than protecting legacy models, Singapore prioritizes adaptation. Structural challenges are addressed quickly, and public institutions actively support innovation through regulatory flexibility, infrastructure, and business-friendly policies.
Singapore’s innovation ecosystem is visible in both local and multinational success stories. Companies such as Eu Yan Sang, BreadTalk, Hyflux, and TWG Tea illustrate homegrown entrepreneurial evolution, while numerous Fortune 500 corporations have established regional headquarters in Singapore to anchor their Asia-Pacific operations.
Openness remains a defining strength. Singapore’s multicultural environment and willingness to integrate global talent have created a dynamic business landscape unmatched in much of the region. This openness, however, must be continuously maintained to preserve competitiveness.
As Damien Duhamel, Managing Partner Asia at Solidiance, noted in summarizing the study’s findings, Singapore’s future depends on boldness, speed, and adaptability. To remain relevant in the 21st century, the city-state must stay open to new ideas, embrace disruption, and lead change rather than react to it.
Singapore’s innovation story is still being written — and its continued leadership will depend on sustaining the ecosystem that placed it at the top.