What are the most innovative countries in the world?

If in the newspapers there is talk of a new cold war, with the fierce race between the United States and China for the development of new technologies, the leader in technological innovations is neither. At least that’s what the Global Competitiveness Report, released by the World Economic Forum, which assesses 141 economies on the planet in various aspects and build an innovative countries ranking.

The indicators are organized into 12 macro-pillars: Institutions; Infrastructure; Information Technologies; Macroeconomic stability; Cheers; Skills; Product Market; Labor market; Financial System; Market Size; Business dynamism and Capacity for innovation.

The 7 most innovative countries in the world

7- Germany

Germany stands out mainly for the Research & Development factor of technologies. It has more than 290 patents for every million inhabitants, one of the highest averages in the world.

6- Japan

Although occupying the sixth, Japan leads in the Research & Development factor. The country has, by far, the highest number of patents submitted per million inhabitants: more than 490.

5- Sweden

Sweden has the highest rate of investment in innovation concerning the Gross Domestic Product, 3.3%. It is also the fourth international place in terms of co-invention per million inhabitants.

4- Netherlands

In 2019, the country stood out for its growth in the Research & Development indicator, in addition to being the third place in terms of collaboration by foreign investors.

3- China

Pulled mainly by Hong Kong and Taiwan, China is the fourth place in workforce diversity, third in the number of patents per million inhabitants, and one of the main highlights in technological innovation capacity.

2- US

It has the main research institutions in the world and the largest number of published scientific articles. It is the second country in terms of “economic dynamism”.

1- Singapore

Known as “The Pearl of Asia”, this city-state of just 5.6 million inhabitants is today one of the largest financial centers in the world, the place that produces the most millionaires and the most expensive to live.

Until the 1960s, Singapore was a poor country with high rates of hunger and misery. However, the national economic project carried out over 40 years catapulted the country to a new stage of the economy.

“[Singapore has] a population able to speak Chinese and English, solid institutions that work and no corruption,” says Linda Lim, a professor of political economy in Southeast Asia at the University of Michigan.

With a wide openness to foreign investments combined with an excellent educational system, Singapore has attracted massive investments over the past 50 years and, in 2019, became the most innovative country in the world.

How is Brazil and Latin America?

Chile is the best positioned, at 33rd, followed by Mexico, 46th, Uruguay, 54th, and Brazil, 71st. In the WEF analysis, the Brazilian economy is slowly growing again after the 2016 recession, but still struggles with a high unemployment rate (11.4%) and sees poverty and misery growing.

Carlos da Costa, secretary of Productivity and Competitiveness at the Ministry of Economy, says that Brazil still has much to improve. “We produce today 25% of what the USA does,” says the secretary, who also affirms the goal for Brazil to become 50th by 2022.

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