According to the 2019 edition of the Global Innovation Index, Switzerland is the world’s most innovative country. Sweden, the United States, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom complete the top 5. Luxembourg ranks 18th among the 129 economies in the study.
The study is based on 80 indicators, ranging from traditional measurements like research and development investments and international patent and trademark applications to newer indicators including mobile-phone app creation and high-tech exports.
Strong creative outputs
Firmly placed among the 20 most innovative countries, Luxembourg ranks 2nd in the world in the category “Creative outputs”. The country also ranks high in the category “Business sophistication”, where it is in 8th place.
According to the study, Luxembourg’s efforts are focused on five key areas: infrastructure, skills, government, ecosystem and policy. In particularly it mentions the country’s strategies for data-driven innovation and artificial intelligence. It also highlights that Luxembourg prioritises the exploitation of public sector information and open data to spur innovation.