China replaces Germany in top 10 of UN’s most innovative nations
Switzerland remained in first place, followed by Sweden and the United States. Singapore and South Korea also made the top 10 list.
[BERLIN] China moved into the top 10 of the United Nations’ annual ranking of most innovative countries for the first time on Tuesday (Sep 16), replacing Europe’s largest economy, Germany, as firms in Beijing invest heavily in research and development.
Switzerland remained in first place, a position it has held since 2011, followed by Sweden and the United States, while China was in 10th place in the Global Innovation Index (GII) survey of 139 economies that ranks them based on 78 indicators.
The other countries in the top 10 – behind US and ahead of China – were, in order of ranking: South Korea, Singapore, Britain, Finland, the Netherlands and Denmark.
China is on track to become the biggest R&D spender as it rapidly closes the gap in private sector financing, the GII showed.
At the same time, the outlook for global innovation is clouded by declining investment, according to the survey.
R&D growth is set to slow to 2.3 per cent this year from 2.9 per cent last year, which was its lowest since 2010 after the financial crisis.
BT in your inbox
Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox.
China contributed about a quarter of international patent applications in 2024, remaining the biggest source of them, while the United States, Japan and Germany – which together make up 40 per cent of total applications – all recorded slight declines.
Ownership of patents is widely seen as an important sign of a country’s economic strength and industrial know-how.
Looking at the long-term, Germany should not be alarmed by its fall to 11th place, said GII co-editor, Sacha Wunsch-Vincent, adding that the new rankings did not reflect the impact of tariffs imposed by the Trump administration in the US.
“The challenge for Germany is how..., alongside its strong, decades-long status as a really powerful engine of industrial innovation, to become a powerhouse of digital innovation,” said World Intellectual Property Organization director general Daren Tang.
Share with us your feedback on BT's products and services
