Switzerland holds on to the number one ranking in the Global Innovation Index 2013 as the US rejoins the top 5.

Switzerland is once again the most-innovative nation in the world according to the Global Innovation Index 2013 (GII).

Sweden holds on to the number two spot, whereas the UK, Netherlands, and US climb up into the third, fourth and fifth spots, respectively.

The full top ten is as follows:

  1. Switzerland (Number 1 in 2012)
  2. Sweden (2)
  3. United Kingdom (5)
  4. Netherlands (6)
  5. United States (10)
  6. Finland (4)
  7. Hong Kong (8)
  8. Singapore (3)
  9. Denmark (7)
  10. Ireland (9)

Francis Gurry, director general of the World Intellectual Property Organisation, said: “Dynamic innovation hubs are multiplying around the world despite the difficult state of the global economy. These hubs leverage local advantages with a global outlook on markets and talent. For national-level policy makers seeking to support innovation, realizing the full potential of innovation in their own backyards is often a more promising approach than trying to emulate successful innovation models elsewhere.”

The GII, co-published by Cornell University, INSEAD and the World Intellectual Property Organisation, is now in its 6th year. It is calculated over the average of two sub-indicies. The Innovation Input Sub-Index gauges elements of the national economy which embody innovative activities grouped in five pillars: (1) Institutions, (2) Human capital and research, (3) Infrastructure, (4) Market sophistication, and (5) Business sophistication. The Innovation Output Sub-Index captures actual evidence of innovation results, divided in two pillars: (6) Knowledge and technology outputs and (7) Creative outputs.