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No. 1 – Singapore
Overall score: 2.45
Innovation inputs score: 2.74
Innovation performance score: 1.92
GDP (Purchasing Power Parity): $240 billion
Foreign Direct Investment: $142.4 billion
For decades, the Singapore government has aggressively courted foreign investment. The Southeast Asian island nation is a center for manufacturing, with strong petrochemicals, consumer electronics, and pharmaceutical industries, and the government has funded the growth of industrial parks focused on nurturing innovation in technology and biotech. Singapore's universities receive extensive support from the government, helping to make the country an attractive destination for multinationals seeking a well-educated workforce. Although Singapore has a population of just 4 million, the country makes it relatively easy for foreign talent to live and work there.
