Global Innovation Index – 2018
Experts named the 20 most innovative countries in the world
Experts of the World Intellectual Property Organization have recognized Switzerland as a world leader in innovative development and the introduction of innovations into everyday life, and China has become the only country of the "second world" that has made it into the top twenty of its new rating.
"A number of developing countries are making a stir in the world of innovation. In addition to China, which is already in the top 25, Malaysia, India, Iran, Mexico, Thailand and Vietnam are rushing to the top of the rating," said Soumitra Doutta, professor at Cornell University (USA) and one of the WIPO experts.
Since 2007, the World Intellectual Property Organization has compiled and published a Global Innovation Index every year. It is an international rating in which its experts try to assess how different countries of the world are developing innovative sectors of the economy and trying to bring them to life.
When compiling it, not only the scientific, but also the political and economic component of success is evaluated, including the quality of innovative legislation, the absence of obstacles to doing business, the level of corruption and other factors that are not directly related to science and technology.
Traditionally, the first places in this ranking are occupied by the first world countries, and this year was no exception. Switzerland has been holding the first position for the second year, leading both in the "theoretical" and "practical" part of innovative development. The Netherlands and Sweden took the second and third places, and the first non-European country in this ranking, Singapore, takes the fifth place.
The only "second world" country in the top half of this list was China, which took 17th place and rose five positions compared to last year. Estonia, in turn, turned out to be the most advanced country from the former USSR, occupying the 23rd position in the ranking.
Russia ranks only fourth among the former countries of the Union, taking 46th place and behind not only Estonia, but also Lithuania (40th place) and Ukraine, which rose seven positions from 50 to 43rd place. The low position of the Russian Federation is largely due to the lack of appropriate legislation and traditions of its correct application, as well as the extremely high energy intensity of the Russian economy, which occupies one of the last places in the world by this indicator.
On the other hand, Russia is among the top thirty in terms of the level of school and university education, investments in science and technology, the number of people engaged in intellectual work, the level of development of the IT sector and the number of patents. Interestingly, the Russian Federation ranks absolutely first in the number of women with academic degrees and engaged in scientific activities.
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