ranks annually the innovation performance of nearly 130 countries and economies around the globe. The GII seeks to shed light on countries' competitiveness, based on 81 indicators.
In this year’s report, Israel climbed 4 spots to the 17th place on the list, far ahead of many other developed and Western countries.
Switzerland again topped the list, for the 7th year in a row, followed this year by Sweden, Netherlands, US and UK.
GII 2017 model and theme
The GII consists of a ranking of world economies’ innovation capabilities and results. It measures innovation based on specific criteria and indicators. Every indicator is analyzed by sub-indices.
The rankings take in factors such as human capital and research, infrastructure, business sophistication, political environment, education and others, providing decision-makers a high-level look at the innovative activity that increasingly drives economic and social growth. This year's report also reviews the state of innovation in agriculture and food systems across sectors and geographies, since this sector is about to face an enormous rise in global demand in the coming decades.
Israel: Regional innovation leader
Israel achieved the top spot in the region, ranked 1st in the Northern Africa and Western Asia region. Over the last 7 years, Israel has exhibited consistent ranking as the number 1 economy in the Northern Africa and Western Asia region and has kept its position among the top 25 GII-ranked high-income economies.
Israel’s overall strengths: Sub-indices ranking
Israel is maintaining its top spots worldwide in:
- 1st in researchers
- 1st in venture capital deals
- 1st in ICT services exports
- 2nd in research and development (R&D)
- 3rd in university/industry research collaboration
- 4th in females employed with advanced degrees
- 5th in business sophistication
- 8th in knowledge diffusion
- 9th in knowledge & technology outputs
Compared to more than 127 covered countries, Israel ranks above countries such as Canada, Norway, Austria, China, Australia, Spain and Italy.