Six out of the top 10 most innovative countries in the world are European, but China has knocked Germany from the top 10 to enter the ranking for the first time, according to a United Nations report published on Tuesday.
Switzerland took the top spot, a position it has held since 2011. Sweden and the United States ranked second and third, respectively, in the World Intellectual Property Organization’s Global Innovation Index (GII) survey of 139 economies, which ranked countries based on 78 indicators.
The GII said that China is on track to be the biggest R&D spender, and that it contributed the highest number of patent filings last year, with about one quarter of all international patent applications.
However, Germany and the United States noted declines in the number of international patent applications, which is an important indicator of innovation.
But the paper said that “even if innovation investment is in a lull, innovation itself is not”.
The study noted that green supercomputers are setting new efficiency records, and battery prices have fallen, accelerating the clean energy transition. It also said electric vehicles, 5G, and robotics are taking off “albeit unevenly across regions,” with 5G now available in half of the world.
The report said that “while the full impact of artificial intelligence remains uncertain, its transformative potential is undeniable”.
msn