The world's most innovative nations lead the way in everything from infrastructure to artificial intelligence (AI). Forward-thinking countries are making great strides – and some of the most pioneering places might surprise you.

Read on to discover the 30 most innovative countries in the world according to the most recent Global Innovation Index (GII), and find out which trailblazing nation takes the top spot. 

The ranking is compiled by the United Nations' World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). All dollar amounts in US dollars.

A newcomer to the top 30, the Czech Republic has risen one place in the rankings since 2023's GII, even as its overall score dips slightly to 44.0 points. 

Each country's score is based on its performance in seven areas; Institutions, Human Capital and Research, Infrastructure, Market Sophistication, Business Sophistication, Knowledge and Technology Outputs and Creative Outputs (and 78 indicators within those). Infrastructure and Knowledge and Technology Outputs are where this small, landlocked central European country scores particularly well. 

The index marks the Czechs out for their high-tech manufacturing and exports, as well as creative goods and services such as feature film making. On the other hand, the Market Sophistication area, which includes aspects such as the amount of finance available for startups, is much less impressive.

Another small country, Malta has dropped no fewer than four places in the latest index, falling from 25th to 29th spot. At 44.8, its total score is down too – it's more than four points lower than it was in the 2023 Index. 

The drop is down to the island’s lower rankings in the Knowledge and Technology Outputs, which include things like the number of patents applied for and the amount of high-tech manufacturing and exports. 

That said, Malta's still in a good place and its Human Capital and Research factors, such as education and research, performed better in 2024. It gains more in outputs than it invests in inputs, and the index says it performs as you would expect a country of its high level of economic development to do. Malta has embraced cryptocurrency and awarded generous grants and residency programmes to talented entrepreneurs.

Scoring 44.9, Spain is up one place on its 2023 ranking, with its top-rated categories listed as Institutions and Infrastructure.

The country places a strong focus on R&D, with abundant research centres, technology parks, and specialised universities. It's also a world leader in agritech, with only the US and India boasting more companies that operate in this field.

Notable Spanish agritech start-ups include plant-based meat company Novameat and Raw Data Team, which is using AI and Big Data to transform traditional farming.

When it comes to innovation, tiny Cyprus packs an impressive punch. Scoring 45.1 and rising one place to the 27th spot, it scores highly in the Knowledge and Technology and Creative Outputs factors. Between them, these factors feature three global number-one rankings – for ICT exports, cultural and creative exports, and mobile app creation. 

Cyprus's Education score is also impressive, and it's little wonder; the country boasts 11 public and private universities and 40 higher education institutions, all for a population of just 1.25 million. 

The Cypriot government's Business Attraction Strategy is luring in a wealth of talented professionals from around the world, with the nation home to more than its fair share of dynamic start-ups. Among them are mobile games developers, AI firms and fintech companies.

With its high levels of corruption and organised crime, it's no huge surprise that Italy's scores are relatively lacklustre compared to other wealthy Western nations, with Institutions its lowest-ranking factor in a lowly 55th place. Its business environment ranks 80th. 

The GII ranks the country most highly for Creative Outputs, though at position #18, even that's not particularly impressive.

On the brighter side, Italy has 105,000 tech companies and Europe's fastest-growing life science sector, according to official government documents. The same literature also notes that the country is a "leader in renewable energy, the pharmaceutical industry, and robotics."

Up one spot from sharing 26th place with Italy in 2023, New Zealand scores best for the Institutions factor but falls short when it comes to the Knowledge and Technology Outputs.

According to the GII, it scores fourth place for both operational stability for businesses and school life expectancy, both of which bode well for the future.

The nation's most innovative legacy companies include ANZ Bank and Air New Zealand. New Zealand is also home to plenty of exciting start-ups, with AI avatar firm Soul Machines and blockchain company Centrality among the ones to watch.

Belgium is down one spot to 24th place in the 2024 index, with its score of 47.7 more than two points lower since 2023. It ranks best for Human Capital and Research and Business Sophistication, with the country rated exceptionally high for the sizeable amounts of money its companies spend on R&D. Other strong areas include Knowledge and Technology Outputs.

While Belgium's Infrastructure placement could do with some improvement (it ranks 44th in this category), the country is still an excellent place for innovation. This is reflected in the large number of foreign doctoral students Belgium attracts and the growth in business process innovations among small and medium-sized firms.

Australia's forte is its Human Capital and Research, and the country is placed 10th globally by this metric. Even more impressively, the nation – which is home to world-class universities and admired research institutions – has a first-place ranking for school life expectancy.

The only issue? The country isn't great at commercialising the fruits of its outstanding research. The Australian government is all too aware of the issue and is investing $1.3 billion (£1bn) over the next decade to help kickstart the process.

Classified by the EU as a "strong innovator", Iceland has fallen three places from joint 19th to 22nd place in the latest GII. Nevertheless, it achieves some impressive scores. 

Best of all is the country’s Infrastructure factor – especially electricity output and low carbon energy use. Meanwhile, although finance can be less than forthcoming, Iceland is ranked the highest in the world for venture capitalist funding recipients in relation to GDP.

It's also in the top position for feature films and third for top-level internet domains per capita. Noteworthy Icelandic start-ups include green tech firms IceWind and Laki Power, with Iceland long regarded as a leader in sustainability, as well as the fintech firm Indo and e-mobility company Hopp.

Norway's innovative prowess is formidable, although the nation doesn't fare as well in the rankings as some of its Nordic neighbours.

In terms of the GII factors, Norway pulls in high scores for Institutions and Infrastructure, while other bonuses include its highly educated and skilled workforce. 

As with Iceland, it's noted for its green tech industry. The weaker areas are the country's tariffs, which disincentivise trade, and the comparatively low number of tech exports as a proportion of total trade. However, given Norway’s large hydrocarbon sector, the latter could be a statistical anomaly.

Sharing 20th place with Norway with a score of 49.1, tiny Luxembourg outperforms many larger nations when it comes to innovation. It scores first place for knowledge-intensive employment, as well as for ICT services imports, ICT access, intellectual property payments, and cultural and creative services exports as a proportion of GDP.

Luxembourg has a high number of unicorns (businesses worth over $1 billion/£807m) and is also a magnet for foreign doctoral students. Meanwhile, the country is run by a pro-business and pro-innovation government, with the Luxinnovation national innovation agency offering much support.

One area for improvement? Its R&D spending could be higher.

The Eurozone's fastest-growing economy, Ireland climbs three places in the GII to achieve a solid top 20 ranking and a score of exactly 50 points. It ranks well for Institutions, Business Sophistication, and Knowledge and Technology Outputs. 

Long renowned for its creativity, Ireland is home to the headquarters and key outposts of some of the world's principal tech companies, including Google, Apple and Amazon. The Emerald Isle has also emerged as a global pharmaceutical and medtech leader.

Its big weakness, however, is funding. Finance for start-ups is less readily available in Ireland than in many other countries, although the government is working to remedy this through the seed funder, Enterprise Ireland.

Hong Kong has long been lauded for its innovation. The region is a stellar place to create and do business, and it's received high ratings in the GII in acknowledgement of its ease of funding, creative goods exports and the global value of its brands. Its tariff regime is also rated the best in the world.

However, Hong Kong isn't perfect and scores less well across indicators ranging from tech exports to education expenditure.

Its most innovative companies include veterans like HSBC Hong Kong and newcomers such as fintech disrupter WeLab Bank and logistics company Lalamove.

Austria climbs one place in the latest index to claim the 17th spot, though its total score drops from 53.2 to 50.3 points. 

Its government is putting a strong focus on innovation and is working to improve digital infrastructure, tweak the regulatory framework, and engage in other action-stimulating activities to nurture ingenuity. High on the agenda are digital humanism and ethical AI.

The country’s total R&D spending is substantial, with a top 10 ranking, though some areas could be improved, including the relatively low volume of venture capital investments. Top Austrian start-ups include virtual learning firm GoStudent and digital asset exchange Bitpanda.

Estonia has a reputation for being a hotbed of tech innovation. Despite its small size, the country has birthed a disproportionate number of game-changing tech companies and innovations in recent years, ranging from Skype to money-sending platform Wise.

Government policies promoting entrepreneurship and a top-tier digital infrastructure have made the country very appealing to foreign investors, who have flooded its businesses with money. Consequently, it’s top-rated in more than one venture capital metric. 

Education in the Baltic state is the only real stumbling block, with ratings for secondary school funding, higher education enrolment and QS top university representation all on the low side.

Conflict has unsurprisingly impacted innovation in Israel. It’s down one place in the latest index to take up a midway ranking in our top 30 list, with a score of 52.7 points. 

Still, it wins a good range of first-place spots in metrics from R&D spending and ICT exports to venture capital deals, venture capital value and unicorn valuation. It's little wonder that Israel has one of the highest numbers of start-ups per capita in the world. 

On the downside, Creative Outputs is the nation's lowest-scoring area, and the value of its trademarks is especially poor. 

Up one spot to claim 14th place overall, Canada's 2024 score is its highest since 2014. It performs well in Human Capital and Research, which covers education, ranking 11th globally by this metric. Market Sophistication is better still, with Canada securing 4th place. 

Creative Outputs seems to be the nation's Achilles' Heel, with the value of industrial designs and trademarks scoring comparatively badly. Another area that could improve is Infrastructure, although that's arguably to be expected since so much of the vast country is sparsely populated.

Venture capital deals are abundant in Canada, and credit is easy for businesses to come by. That’s reflected in the multitude of globally successful Canadian start-ups, such as Shopify, Wave, and Kik Interactive.

Over the years, Japan has brought the world laptops, camera phones, hybrid vehicles and countless other inventions that have changed the way we live. Once sitting in pole position on the GII, the country has slipped down the global rankings in recent years, with its economy stagnating. In the most recent index it occupies the 13th spot, as it has done since 2021.  

Even so, it has much to offer. While some indicators such as business environment, tertiary education and sustainability could certainly be improved, and foreign investment is low, Japan's government and banks are in favour of start-ups. R&D spending is generous, and the country achieves top rankings for patents, intellectual property receipts and the size of its domestic market. 

France has climbed the rankings in recent years. This is partly a result of President Macron's drive to create a "start-up nation", which involves the government pumping $33 billion (£27bn) into innovation investment. That said, it's slipped one place to 12th spot in the 2024 index.

France ranks best for its Market Sophistication and Creative Outputs – respectively, it’s number four and 10th globally for these factors. But it doesn't do well when it comes to Institutions (ranking 29th), with government assistance seemingly lacking despite Macron's support. 

The sole middle-income country in the top 30, China has been accused of wholesale intellectual property theft, while corruption is relatively widespread and the government's extensive involvement in businesses can stifle innovation. But despite the negatives, it still scores well in the GII. Climbing one spot to 11th place, its total score has gone up by an entire point. 

Creative goods exports continue to flourish (China is ranked the best in the world by this metric), as do trademark applications and industrial designs. In fact, only two other nations have more top-scoring indices than China, which has achieved the top spot in eight of the GII’s 78 performance areas.

Chinese startups such as TikTok, Alibaba and Shein are global household names, and China is a leader in renewable energy, electric cars, AI and other modern innovations.

Denmark is perceived as being the least corrupt country in the world, according to Transparency International's 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index. This reassuringly upstanding environment is highly conducive to innovation.

As well as bagging a strong score for its Institutions (#2 overall), Denmark has a very good rating for Infrastructure with its ICT access particularly strong (#1 overall). The European Commission has remarked that the country leads on innovation thanks to its "open, excellent and attractive research systems, linkages and entrepreneurship, and intellectual assets". 

Denmark is a haven for burgeoning firms, with around 950 experiential tech (XTech) start-ups alone.

Germany's economy is in the doldrums but its ingenuity – especially in engineering – has been instrumental in making the country one of the world's biggest and most advanced manufacturers.

While its Infrastructure score isn't a particular standout, its rankings for tertiary education, R&D spending and knowledge creation are all in solid top 10 territory, while the nation is well rated for both Knowledge and Technology Outputs and Creative Outputs.

Despite the challenges they face, giant German multinationals such as Volkswagen Group, Bosch, and BASF continue to invent world-leading technology, while start-ups in AI, fintech, renewable energy and other futuristic fields are blossoming.

The Dutch government goes all out to encourage innovation, with start-ups supported via tax credits and grants. Offering an open and uplifting environment, the country is now among the world's chief producers of high-tech products and is regarded as a global leader in nanotechnology. It's also home to ASML, the world's largest supplier for the semiconductor industry.

Many of the Netherlands' legacy companies are just as innovative as its start-ups, with the venerable Amsterdam-based Philips one of the first businesses in the world to launch a lights-out robot-operated factory.

Similarly, the Finnish state is working hard to empower innovation, with comprehensive support available for research projects and start-ups.

Infrastructure is rated number two in the world, which makes sense as Finland was the first country to deploy 5G. Meanwhile, it's ranked fourth for Institutions, with Human Capital and Research in sixth place. 

Finland has also become a leader in health and green tech, and the nation has more digital start-ups per capita than any other. The hall of fame includes Angry Birds video game creator Rovio, food delivery service Wolt, and music instrument learning app Yousician.

Innovation is a crucial driver of the South Korean economy. No surprise then, that the country has surged four places in the latest GII to sixth overall, while its score of 60.9 is over two points higher than it was in 2023.

The Republic of Korea produces more semiconductors than any other country apart from Taiwan. It ranks top for both Human Capital and Research and R&D, and the latter is actually the nation's strongest-scoring area in the WIPO index, where it also takes the global top spot as a specific performance indicator. Homegrown tech firms such as Samsung fuel much of the innovation. 

Investment can be tricky to come by, one of South Korea's few innovation-related weaknesses. That said, the country scores highly for many other key indicators, from its number of patents to industrial designs.

The UK has dropped one place in the latest index, and its score of 61 points is almost one and a half points lower than in 2023. Even so, top five territory is no bad place to be. British inventions have had an unfathomable impact on the world, and the UK continues to help shape the future.

Still a sterling innovation all-rounder, the UK has well-funded globally acclaimed universities and research institutions, ranging from Oxford and Cambridge to the London-based Francis Crick Institute.

It also offers tax breaks for R&D business expenditure and boasts solid scores across the Creative Outputs indicators. Innovation success stories from the UK include Deliveroo and online banks Monzo and Revolut.

Swapping places with the UK, Singapore was number five in 2023 but has moved up one place. The city-state has the most pro-innovation institutions in the world, with government stability, effectiveness and support all consistently dependable.

The government helps develop start-ups through schemes such as Enterprise Singapore's Startup SG, and is renowned for its eagerness in adopting new technologies, making for a cutting-edge Infrastructure rank.

Other strong points include Singapore's highly educated and skilled workforce, finely tuned high-tech manufacturing and abundant venture capital. In fact, the island nation has the top score in 14 of the GII’s 78 performance indicators, beating every other country.

Our top three countries are all non-movers, and they begin with the United States. America is an innovation superstar and leads the index in nine of the 78 indicators. The nation's many claims to fame include being the home of Harvard, the world's top university for science, and copious distinguished research institutions.

America is the global number one for corporate R&D investment and, unsurprisingly, has more billion-dollar unicorns than any other country. Its tech titans, including Apple, Microsoft and Alphabet, dominate the global sector. Other world-beating indices include software spending, intellectual property receipts and the entertainment and media market.  

The country also leads the way in AI, medical research and other technologies. The only real drawbacks are its Infrastructure indicators, which are sometimes less impressive.

Sweden has no such Infrastructure issues, with this factor ranked best in the world by the GII. Its Business Sophistication is also ranked number one, and the country’s overall innovation score makes it the global runner-up, just as it was in 2023.  

The Scandinavian nation has many attributes that make it a place of awe-inspiring innovation. Education is excellent, and its workforce is among the most highly qualified and skilled on the planet. The prevalence of researchers within the population, the intellectual property receipts and the number of patents all stand out as world beating.  

Start-ups thrive as a result, and Sweden has incubated some major names in recent years, including Spotify and Klarna.

And the winner is... Switzerland, which has topped the index for the 14th consecutive year with a score of 67.5 points overall. This wealthy nation seems perfectly geared towards innovation.

Government policies are extra-favourable for doing business, and R&D spending is substantial. The nation ranks top for both Creative Outputs and Knowledge and Technology Outputs, ranking particularly well for patents and intellectual property receipts.

Medtech and pharmaceuticals are among Switzerland's strengths, and its many unicorns in these fields have included neurotherapeutics start-up MindMaze, AI medical software maker SOPHiA GENETICS, and biotech firm Actelion, with the latter now owned by Johnson & Johnson.

Read on: The global economy is worth $110 trillion. How big is your country’s share?