UAE the world’s 35th most innovative country
Global Innovation Index results officially announced during June 15 at the UN’s offices in Geneva
Abu Dhabi: The UAE has improved its standing in the 2017 Global Innovation Index, GII, topping all Arab countries and ranking 35th globally to improve six places from last year’s 41st position cementing its status as one of the world’s most innovative countries.
The results of the index were officially announced during a press conference held on June 15 at the UN’s offices in Geneva, Switzerland that was attended by Ambassador Obaid Salem Al Zaabi, the UAE’s Permanent Representative to the UN and other international organisations in Geneva. It affirmed the UAE’s significant progress in several areas, the most prominent of which are ‘human capital and research’ as well as ‘creative outputs’.
This year’s 10th Global Innovation Index measured the innovation-related performance of 127 countries and economies representing 92.5 per cent of the total world population and the vast proportion of global GDP. It relied on detailed measures of innovation inputs and outputs, including 81 indicators providing comprehensive insights on the various areas of innovation, most notably institutions, human capital and research, infrastructure, market sophistication, business sophistication, knowledge and technology outputs, and creative outputs.
The UAE achieved a six-rank increase in 2017, up from 41 in 2016 to reach 35 globally. Over the past two years, the UAE has exhibited a consistent performance by repeatedly ranking as number one in the Arab world. This year, the UAE also experienced the highest surge among the top 40 most innovative countries with its six-rank increase.
This jump allowed the UAE to achieve the highest percentage increase in GII scores globally, with a 10 per cent increase in ranking scores.
Sultan Bin Saeed Al Mansouri, Minister of Economy, said that the UAE’s significant progress in the Global Innovation Index is the latest of the country’s successive achievements in various fields of development and global performance indices, which he said contributes in enhancing the UAE’s outstanding position as a regional and global economic destination.
He added that the UAE has managed to maintain its lead among Middle Eastern and African countries in the field of innovation and has made significant progress in advancing its ranking among the fastest-growing innovation-driven countries.
Source: WAM (2017, June 17). UAE the world’s 35th most innovative country. Gulf News. Retrieved from http://gulfnews.com/business/economy/uae-the-world-s-35th-most-innovative-country-1.2045147
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