The Most Innovative Countries in the World in 2022. Since 2000, global investment in research and development (R&D) has tripled to $2.4 trillion.
R&D spend is also casting a wider global net. In 1960, the U.S. made up nearly 70% of global R&D spending, and by 2020 this had fallen to 30%. From job creation and public health to national security and industrial competitiveness, R&D plays a vital role in a countryโs economic growth and innovation, impacting nearly every corner of societyโeither directly or indirectly.
Along with R&D spend, other key ingredients play an important role in driving progress and innovation. These include technological adoption, scientific research, and venture capital activity, among others.
The above infographic ranks the worldโs most innovative economies using data from the UNโsย WIPO Global Innovation Index.
What Defines an Innovative Economy?
Innovation is inherently challenging to quantify, but the Global Innovation Index is a longstanding attempt to do just that.
The framework used for the index was designed to create a more complete analysis, comprising ofย 81ย indicators across seven categories to calculate a countryโs score:
| 7 Categories | Example Indicators |
|---|---|
| ๐งณย Business Sophistication | Business R&D spend, net inflows of foreign direct investment |
| ๐ย Market Sophistication | Size of economyโs GDP, intensity of local market competition |
| ๐ฃ๏ธย Infrastructure | Road, hospital, school construction, energy efficiency |
| ๐ฉโ๐ซย Human Capital & Research | Government funding per pupil, quality of scientific and research institutions |
| ๐๏ธย Institutions | Political stability and safety, ease of starting a business |
| ๐กย Creative Outputs | Most valuable brands, industrial design applications, trademark applications |
| ๐จโ๐ปย Knowledge and Technology Outputs | Patent applications, increase in labor productivity, spending on software |
As the above table shows, the framework aims to identify indicators that foster an innovative environment and breakthrough technologies.
Itโs worth noting that each countryโs overall innovation score is a mix of these categories, and countries with similar scores can be strong in different areas.
The 50 Most Innovative Countries in 2022
Switzerland ranks at the topโ for the 12th year in a rowโabove the U.S., South Korea, and Israel.
For many, this may come as a surprise. However, the countryโs intellectual property rules are considered world-class, and they are complemented by strong collaboration between universities and industry. In addition, the country attracts top talent thanks to its high quality of living.
At second is the United States, which is a top spender on R&D at overย $700 billionย per year. Globally, four of the five top R&D spending companies are in America: Amazon ($42.7 billion), Alphabet ($27.6 billion), Microsoft ($19.3 billion), andย Appleย ($18.8 billion).
| 11 | ๐จ๐ณย China | 55.3 |
| 12 | ๐ซ๐ทย France | 55.0 |
| 13 | ๐ฏ๐ตย Japan | 53.6 |
| 14 | ๐ญ๐ฐย Hong Kong | 51.8 |
| 15 | ๐จ๐ฆย Canada | 50.8 |
| 16 | ๐ฎ๐ฑย Israel | 50.2 |
| 17 | ๐ฆ๐นย Austria | 50.2 |
| 18 | ๐ช๐ชย Estonia | 50.2 |
| 19 | ๐ฑ๐บย Luxembourg | 49.8 |
| 20 | ๐ฎ๐ธย Iceland |
49.5 |
| 21 | ๐ฒ๐นย Malta | 49.1 |
| 22 | ๐ณ๐ดย Norway | 48.8 |
| 23 | ๐ฎ๐ชย Ireland | 48.5 |
| 24 | ๐ณ๐ฟย New Zealand | 47.2 |
| 25 | ๐ฆ๐บย Australia | 47.1 |
| 26 | ๐ง๐ชย Belgium | 46.9 |
| 27 | ๐จ๐พย Cyprus | 46.2 |
| 28 | ๐ฎ๐นย Italy | 46.1 |
| 29 | ๐ช๐ธย Spain | 44.6 |
| 30 | ๐จ๐ฟย Czech Republic |
42.8 |
| 31 | ๐ฆ๐ชย United Arab Emirates | 42.1 |
| 32 | ๐ต๐นย Portugal | 42.1 |
| 33 | ๐ธ๐ฎย Slovenia | 40.6 |
| 34 | ๐ญ๐บย Hungary | 39.8 |
| 35 | ๐ง๐ฌย Bulgaria | 39.5 |
| 36 | ๐ฒ๐พย Malaysia | 38.7 |
| 37 | ๐น๐ทย Turkey | 38.1 |
| 38 | ๐ต๐ฑย Poland | 37.5 |
| 39 | ๐ฑ๐นย Lithuania | 37.4 |
| 40 | ๐ฎ๐ณย India | 36.6 |
| 41 | ๐ฑ๐ปย Latvia | 36.5 |
| 42 | ๐ญ๐ทย Croatia | 35.6 |
| 43 | ๐น๐ญย Thailand | 34.9 |
| 44 | ๐ฌ๐ทย Greece | 34.5 |
| 45 | ๐ฒ๐บย Mauritius | 34.4 |
| 46 | ๐ธ๐ฐย Slovakia | 34.3 |
| 47 | ๐ท๐บย Russia | 34.3 |
| 48 | ๐ป๐ณย Vietnam | 34.3 |
| 49 | ๐ท๐ดย Romania | 34.1 |
| 50 | ๐จ๐ฑย Chile | 34.0 |
Europe
Withย 15 of the top 25 economiesย in the world, Europe is a powerhouse for fostering innovative ecosystems.
The continent is also a leader in social progress, equality, and life satisfaction. The region scores 30 on inequality according to the Gini Index compared to 41 for America.
ย
Middle East and Central Asia
As the highest ranked in the region, Israel (#16) is the sole country globally that spends overย 5% of GDPย on R&D. Overall, it is a global leader in patent applications and information and communication technology (ICT) services exports.
For context, the countryโs density of start-ups per capita is 16 times that of Europe.
Africa
The highest ranked inย Africaย is the island nation of Mauritius (#45).
Underscoring its rank is the strength of its institutions and market sophistication. Meanwhile, the government is accelerating investment in tech incubators, research-business collaboration, and tax incentives for R&D investment.
