Even though much of the innovation around the world is occurring in developed nations, developing countries have also been making a fair bit of progress as of late. According to the Global Innovation Index which is published by the World Intellectual Property Organization every year, Botswana made the biggest leap with all things having been considered and taken into account.
The African nation has been investing in technology, trying to boost its educational system and increase entrepreneurship in the process. This has borne great fruit, with Botswana jumping 20 places in the rankings to reach 86th place.
Another African country that has made great strides is Ghana, which leapt past 17 rankings and reached the 95th spot on the list. This is followed by Saudi Arabia, with the Middle Eastern nation working hard to diversify its economy with its Vision 2030. Saudi Arabia is currently in 51st place, which represents a 15 place leap on the part of the nation.
Following this we have Bangladesh. The South Asian nation may be at just 107th place, but it has seen its rankings go up by 14 places in the past year which is a testament to the efforts that the nation is putting into developing a proper knowledge based economy.
Finally, Indonesia and Pakistan are tied in fifth place, with each nation progressing 12 places up the rankings. This puts Indonesia in 75th place overall, while Pakistan is now just behind Botswana in 86th place. Botswana has managed to surpass a number of nations like Pakistan thanks to its heavier focus on innovation.
The presence of two poor African nations and two poor South Asian nations in this list is quite telling. These countries might be able to lead the charge of innovation in the future, and that might tip the balance of power in the East’s direction for the very first time.
The rankings keep changing, and it’s not just Western developed nations that are seeing a reshuffling occur. Poorer countries are learning the ropes of developing innovative economies and they are competing with each other to drive further growth.
H/T: Statista
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The African nation has been investing in technology, trying to boost its educational system and increase entrepreneurship in the process. This has borne great fruit, with Botswana jumping 20 places in the rankings to reach 86th place.
Another African country that has made great strides is Ghana, which leapt past 17 rankings and reached the 95th spot on the list. This is followed by Saudi Arabia, with the Middle Eastern nation working hard to diversify its economy with its Vision 2030. Saudi Arabia is currently in 51st place, which represents a 15 place leap on the part of the nation.
Following this we have Bangladesh. The South Asian nation may be at just 107th place, but it has seen its rankings go up by 14 places in the past year which is a testament to the efforts that the nation is putting into developing a proper knowledge based economy.
Finally, Indonesia and Pakistan are tied in fifth place, with each nation progressing 12 places up the rankings. This puts Indonesia in 75th place overall, while Pakistan is now just behind Botswana in 86th place. Botswana has managed to surpass a number of nations like Pakistan thanks to its heavier focus on innovation.
The presence of two poor African nations and two poor South Asian nations in this list is quite telling. These countries might be able to lead the charge of innovation in the future, and that might tip the balance of power in the East’s direction for the very first time.
The rankings keep changing, and it’s not just Western developed nations that are seeing a reshuffling occur. Poorer countries are learning the ropes of developing innovative economies and they are competing with each other to drive further growth.
Read next: There Are Now More Phones Than People in the World According to This Report
