The Most Innovative Economies in the World

Cancer research, meat alternatives and smart home technologies are among the major developments of our time. But which countries are world leaders in research and development, patent activity, high-tech density and everything that comes with fostering innovation? A Bloomberg ranking released today shows the most innovative countries by index value. South Korea ranked highest in 2021, after Germany won the ranking in 2020. The East Asian country had been at the helm of the list also from 2014 to 2019. The U.S. ranked 11th, losing three ranks in two years, and exited the top 10 for the first time.

The ranking includes factors such as research and development expenditures, the number of domestic patent applications and the number of domestic public high-tech companies. South Korea scored 90.49 out of 100 possible points, as our chart shows. The Netherlands and Denmark were the countries most improved among the top 10, climbing up four and two ranks, respectively.