GENEVA: Saudi Arabia ranked 49th among 129 countries for innovation, and topped GCC and Arab countries, according to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
In its annual index announced in Geneva, the WIPO said the Kingdom ranked 42nd in innovation among high-income countries (49 countries in total), the 2nd in the Arab world, and 5th among West Asian and Middle Eastern countries (19 countries in total).
The UAE ranked 41st globally, 38th among high-income countries, the 1st among Arab countries, and 3rd among West Asian and Middle Eastern countries, while Qatar came after Saudi Arabia in 50th globally, 43rd among high income countries, and 6th among West Asian and Middle Eastern countries, which also includes countries like Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia.
Bahrain ranked 57th globally, 44th among high-income countries, 3rd among Arab countries, and 6th among West Asian and Middle Eastern countries. Kuwait came in 67th place globally, Morocco at 72nd, Oman at 73rd, Tunisia at 77th, Jordan at 82nd, Egypt at 107th, Algeria at 113th, and Yemen at 128th.
The index, which is based on more than 80 indicators, reveals that weak points in Saudi indicators are poor teaching of innovation in elementary and middle schools, poor spending on research and innovation, calculated as a percentage of GPD, and low salaries in research and innovation institutions. Additional factors include foreign direct investment in terms of percent of GDP, high-tech exports minus re-exports in terms of percentage of total trade, the innovation efficiency rate, as well as types of laws and regulations related to innovation, ease of starting a business, and participation of women with advanced degrees.
Strong points of the Kingdom include the number of science and engineering graduates as a percentage, the access to government services online (18th globally), production of electricity calculated as kilowatt per hour (13th globally), total capital devoted to training in terms of GDP (22nd globally), total value of shares traded as a percentage of GDP (9th globally), and the size of the domestic market of $1 billion calculated in terms of purchasing power per capital (14th globally).
Switzerland ranked number one in the world in terms of innovation, followed by Sweden, the United Kingdom, the United States, Finland, Singapore, Ireland, Denmark, Holland, and Germany. China joined the top 25 countries on the index, making it the first emerging country to rank in the top 25. Russia ranked in 43th place, and although emerging countries are becoming more active in innovation, there still remains a significant gap between the advanced industrial countries and emerging countries.
According to Francis Gurry, the director general of WIPO’s statement in the 422-page report said that “it is critical to invest in innovation in order to guarantee economic growth in the long run.”
“This priority is among the most important among other economic elements, especially in light of the current economic climate around the world,” he said.
According to reports about spending on innovation from two years ago, spending has only increased by 4 percent, which can be attributed to a decline in spending caused by the economic recession in emerging countries, and tightening of budgets allocated to innovation in advanced industrial countries. The report indicates an increase in global commerce contributing to wider sharing of benefits of innovation, but cooperation between the public and private sectors remains in need of strengthening. Similarly, national policies must account for the importance of international cooperation in this field, as “international institutions should promote the dissemination of new technologies to developing countries and among themselves.”
Kingdom ranked second in Arab world for innovation
Kingdom ranked second in Arab world for innovation
