Global Innovation Index 2015: Pakistan ranked at 131st

The annual Global Innovation Index has released its report for the year, 2015, ranking Pakistan down in the bottom 10 out of a total of 141 countries.

Evaluating a total of 79 indicators, the Global Innovation Index covered 141 economies on “Effective Innovation Policies for Development” for the year 2015. It analysed the effectiveness of government efforts and their impact on the economy’s degree of development.

Pakistan’s Ranking

Pakistan is currently ranked at the 131st position with a total score of 23.07 point on the 100 point scale. Although Pakistan’s situation has improved considerably, the country is still stuck at the 131st position, barely a few ranks up from 2014’s 134th ranking. On the contrary, the total innovation score has actually decreased from 24,00 to 23.07.

In innovation input sub-ranking, Pakistan was even worst off with a score of 26.65, and a ranking at 136th, with only countries like Angola, Yemen, Myanmar, Guinea and Sudan had a worst ranking than Pakistan. The situation was a little better in Innovation output-subranking, where the country was ranked at 116th position.

Central and Southern Asia

In central and southern Asia, a total of 11 economies were analysed in which India and Kazakhstan were the notable standouts, ranked at 81st and 82nd respectively while Pakistan and Nepal brought up the rear at 131st and 136th. According to GII, our neighbouring country, India has managed to leapfrog in mobile networks, information technology, and broadband, leaving its other Asian peers far behind. It has also “developed a stable foundation for scientific, technological, and business education by setting up centres of excellence such as the Indian Institutes of Science (IISC), the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), and the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs)”.

It also revealed that Pakistan’s performance and policies are consistently poor with regards to sustainable development and innovation. One of the major reasons is the devastating score in one of the most important area; “Human Capital and Research” with a 12.8 score.

A global innovation evaluation system, Global Innovation Index (GII) aims to capture the multi-dimensional facets of innovation and provide the tools that can assist in tailoring policies to promote long-term output growth, improved productivity, and job growth.

You can view the full detailed report in PDF form via this link.