USA ranks first globally in Global Knowledge Index 2022

    DUBAI, UAE, April 13, 2023 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The United States of America (USA) has secured the top position in the Global Knowledge Index (GKI) 2022, published by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in partnership with the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation (MBRF) under the 'Knowledge Project' initiative. Switzerland, Sweden, Finland, and the Netherlands came in second, third, fourth, and fifth, respectively, in the GKI.

In the GKI, the USA ranked first in the following indicators: technical and vocational education and training; the share of students enrolled in post-secondary vocational programs; the extent of staff training; university-industry collaboration in R&D; the state of cluster development; the number of resident patent applications; intellectual property receipts of total trade; research institutions prominence; and the growth of innovative companies. Furthermore, the USA outperformed other countries and secured top positions in terms of expenditure on software as a proportion of GDP; the number of secure internet servers per million population; internet and telephony competition; transport productive capacity; the chinn-Ito financial openness index; and the female-to-male ratio in internet usage.

His Excellency Jamal bin Huwaireb, CEO of the MBRF, said, "The GKI continues to remain a significant knowledge performance indicator across the globe, providing countries with the necessary resources and data to address and solve several pressing knowledge issues. It also aims to explore opportunities in developing knowledge, research, science, innovation, and empowerment. We believe that this will contribute to creating a comprehensive knowledge and research ecosystem, which involves all the development pillars, in line with the combined vision of MBRF and UNDP."

Switzerland, which had topped the Index the previous year, ranked second globally in the GKI 2022. The country secured the top position in terms of the fields of higher education; research, development, and innovation; and schools with access to computers in primary and secondary education. Meanwhile, Sweden came in third globally in the GKI 2022. The country ranked third in the indicators of countries with very high human development, indicators of parity by region of completion rate in higher secondary education, percentage of participants rate in formal and non-formal education and training, and continuous training and skilling.

Finland secured the fourth position in the GKI 2022, reflecting its remarkable performance across indicators related to an enabling environment. The country ranked 1st globally in terms of protecting from natural hazard exposure, social protection coverage, quality of institutions, and rule of law, as well as second place in controlling corruption. The Netherlands further achieved the fifth position in the GKI 2022, securing first in the wealth parity of the completion rate in upper secondary education, the rate of government expenditure on vocational education, the share of students enrolled in post-secondary vocational programs, schools with access to computers in primary and secondary education, and intellectual property payments and receipts (% of total trade).

The Global Knowledge Index (GKI) constitutes a significant addition to the global repository of knowledge on development, offering a range of reliable data that assist nations and decision-makers in understanding and addressing knowledge-related changes, challenges, and the main knowledge barriers. The GKI includes seven compound sub-indicators that involve important knowledge sectors and major driving factors for growth and development.

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