South Korea surges in UN innovation index

Geneva: South Korea made the biggest jump among the world s 10 most innovative economies in the UN s annual rankings published Thursday, alongside a g...

Geneva: South Korea made the biggest jump among the world's 10 most innovative economies in the UN's annual rankings published Thursday, alongside a gloomy global outlook for innovation investment.

While leaders Switzerland, followed by Sweden and then the United States, retained the top three positions in the Global Innovation Index 2024, Singapore overtook Britain to secure fourth place.

But South Korea was the biggest mover in the GII's top 10, up four places to sixth, leapfrogging Finland, the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark.

Now in its 17th edition, the GII ranking of 133 countries is the flagship publication of the World Intellectual Property Organization, the UN agency dealing with patenting and innovation.

"Looking at the global landscape in 2023, we find cloudy skies and gloomy weather," said WIPO chief Daren Tang.