The Netherlands has climbed three spots to 6th place worldwide in innovation performance according to the overall Global Innovation Index 2012. It also ranks in the top 10 in the overall Global Innovation Efficiency Index 2012, which compares innovation outputs relative to inputs. Besides Switzerland, it is the only country to make the top 10 for both indices.

The report "Global Innovation Index 2012 (GII): Stronger Innovation Linkages for Global Growth" was published by INSEAD eLab, a research centre at the leading international business school, and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), a specialised agency of the United Nations. The GII report ranks 141 countries / economies on the basis of their innovation capabilities and results. 

The top 10 of overall GII performers has changed little from last year. Switzerland, Sweden, and Singapore are followed by Finland, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Denmark, Hong Kong (China), Ireland, and the US. Canada is the only country to leave the top 10 this year.

According to the report, strong points for the Netherlands include its regulatory environment, ICT infrastructure, and creative outputs, while weak points include various facets of education (e.g. the pupil-teacher ratio in secondary schools) and ecological sustainability.

As WIPO Director General Francis Gurry observes: "The GII is a timely reminder that policies to promote innovation are critical to the debate on spurring sustainable economic growth. The downward pressure on investment in innovation exerted by the current crisis must be resisted. Otherwise we risk durable damage to countries’ productive capacities. This is the time for forward-looking policies to lay the foundations for future prosperity."

In spite of the Netherlands' relatively high ranking in the GII Index, a recent report from the TNO research institute and the Centre for Strategic Studies in The Hague characterised it as an innovation follower and just an average R&D performer, suggesting that the country is falling behind the rest of the industrialised world when it comes to innovation.

Read more about the GII Index, see the Netherlands country profile, and read the TNO report and draw your own conclusions.

Top 10 Leaders in the Global Innovation Index
› Switzerland
› Sweden
› Singapore
› Finland
› United Kingdom
› Netherlands
› Denmark
› Hong Kong (China)
› Ireland
› United States of America

Top 10 in the Global Innovation Efficiency Index
› China
› India
› Republic of Moldova
› Malta
› Switzerland
› Paraguay
› Serbia
› Estonia
› Netherlands
› Sri Lanka

Notes
› The GII 2012 is calculated as the average of two sub-indices and the Innovation Efficiency Index is the ratio of the two sub-indices (see below). 

› The Innovation Input Sub-Index gauges elements of the national economy which embody innovative activities grouped in five pillars: (1) Institutions, (2) Human capital and research, (3) Infrastructure, (4) Market sophistication, and (5) Business sophistication. 

› The Innovation Output Sub-Index examines actual evidence of innovation results, divided in two pillars: (6) Knowledge and technology outputs and (7) Creative outputs.