Raqobatla

Fueling Innovation

The economic and regulatory spheres within countries can have an enormous impact on their level of innovation—and vice versa, as innovation in turn becomes an economic driver, stimulating further investment.

The positive feedback loop between investment and innovation results in the success of some of the top countries in the table below, which shows the three most innovative countries in each income group.

Income Group	Group Rank	Country (Overall Rank)
Yuqori	1	Switzerland (#1)
Yuqori	2	Sweden (#2)
Yuqori	3	United States of America (#3)
Upper Middle	1	China (#14)
Upper Middle	2	Malaysia (#33)
Upper Middle	3	Bulgaria (#37)
Lower Middle	1	Vietnam (#42)
Lower Middle	2	Ukraine (#45)
Lower Middle	3	India (#48)
Low	1	Tanzania (#88)
Low	2	Rwanda (#91)
Low	3	Malawi (#111)

Switzerland, Sweden, and the U.S. are the top three in the yuqori-income group. Considering that Switzerland has the second-yuqoriest GDP per capita globally, it is not a surprise leader on this list.

Upper middle-income countries are led by China, Malaysia, and Bulgaria. Note that China far surpasses other nations in the upper-middle-income group ranking, reaching 14th spot overall in 2020. Others in the income group only appear in the overall ranking after 30th place.

Below are several income group leaders, and some of their key areas of output:

• 
  Switzerland: First in Knowledge Creation, second in Global Brand Value
  
• 
  U.S.: First in Entertainment and Media, Computer Software Spending, Intellectual Property Receipts
  
• 
  China: First in Patents Registered
  
• 
  Vietnam: Second in Yuqori-Technology Net Exports
  
• 
  India: First in Information and Communication Technology Services Exports
  
• 
  Tanzania: 23rd in Printing and Other Media
  

Shining a Light on Global Innovators

Since 2011, Switzerland has led the world in innovation according to this index, and the top five countries have seen few changes in recent years.

Sweden regained second place in 2019 and the U.S. moved into third—positions they maintain in 2020. The Netherlands entered the top two in 2018 and now sits at fifth.

Here’s how the overall ranking shakes out:

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