Switzerland has been crowned the most innovative country in the world in 2022 by the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO). The country has managed to take the top spot in the Global Innovation Index for 12 years in a row. 

Switzerland more innovative than the United States

The World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), based in Geneva, created the Global Innovation Index in order to find out which countries are the most innovative around the world. In their latest ranking, they found that Switzerland ranks top for its patent families, high technology and the complexity of production and export.

The country even managed to beat the United States to the top spot, despite its considerably smaller size. According to Blick, Switzerland's success can be attributed to high-quality education such as top universities, as well as good incentives for entrepreneurs and friendly business taxes. 

Sweden took the last podium place, with the country having ranked top in the world for infrastructure and business sophistication. The United Kingdom and the Netherlands rounded out the top five. 

“Tensions affect innovation,” says the WIPO

In other parts of the world, China is rapidly approaching the top 10, after having come 12th place last year and ranking 11th in 2022. Other developing nations are also making their way up the rankings, with India and Türkiye joining the top 40 for the first time.

In a statement, the World Intellectual Property Organisation explained that tensions affect the ability of countries to innovate, likely referring to the conflict in Ukraine. The organisation added that in the next decades, the countries that make up the top of the list should gradually become more diverse.

10 most innovative nations in the world in 2022

According to WIPO, these are the 10 most innovative nations in the world in 2022:

1. Switzerland
2. United States
3. Sweden
4. United Kingdom
5. The Netherlands
6. Republic of Korea
7. Singapore
8. Germany
9. Finland
10. Denmark

To see how the ranking was calculated, check out the WIPO website.