Switzerland, Sweden and Singapore are the three most innovative countries in the world, according to the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2012, a ranking of 141 countries co-produced by INSEAD and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO, a specialised agency of the United Nations) published in Geneva on July 3, 2012.

This is the second year running that Switzerland, Sweden and Singapore have been in the top three positions. The rest of the top ten this year are: Finland, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Denmark, Hong Kong (China), Ireland and the United States. Canada dropped out of the top ten this year, while the U.S. fell to tenth position from number seven last year, changes which the report attributes to cutbacks in spending on, and support of, education and research and development.

A new measurement in this year’s GII includes the Global Innovation Efficiency Index, showing which countries exhibit innovation despite an environment which may be less than supportive. China, India and the Republic of Moldova are the top three in this category.

Currently in its fifth year, the GII measures the degree to which countries and economies integrate innovation into their political business and social spheres. Knowledge partners for the GII 2012 are Alcatel-Lucent, Booz & Company and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

To go to the INSEAD full article, click here.

To go to the official website of the Global Innovation Index, click here.

This article is republished courtesy of INSEAD Knowledge (http://knowledge.insead.edu ). Copyright INSEAD 2012.