China has surpassed Germany, Europe’s strongest economy, in the race for innovation and this important development has been made possible due to heavy investment in research and development by companies in Beijing while China has also joined the list of the world’s 10 most innovative countries for the first time in the annual United Nations ranking, where it has also left behind Europe’s strongest economy, Germany.
This important development has been made possible thanks to heavy investment in research and development by companies in Beijing. According to the Global Innovation Index, Switzerland remains at the top of the list of innovative countries, a position it has held since 2011.
This is followed by Sweden, the United States, South Korea, Singapore, the United Kingdom, Finland, the Netherlands, and Denmark, while China has come in tenth place. China is on track to become the world’s largest R&D spender, rapidly closing the gap in private sector funding, according to the Global Innovation Index.
However, the future of innovation globally looks uncertain as investment has slowed. The report said that growth is expected to be 2.3 % this year, down from 2.9 percent last year. This is the lowest level since 2010.
In 2024, about a quarter of international patent applications came from China, which has been the world’s largest source. In contrast, the United States, Japan and Germany recorded a slight decline in applications of 40 percent.
Regarding Germany’s 11th place, Sacha Wunsch, co-editor of the Global Innovation Index, said that Germany should not worry too much about it, as the rankings do not reflect the impact of trade tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump.
In addition, Darren Tang, Director-General of the World Intellectual Property Organization, said that “the challenge for Germany is to maintain its long-standing position as a strong industrial innovation powerhouse while also striving to emerge as a powerhouse in digital innovation.”
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