Innovation and GDP

X Y scatter chart showing the distribution of the 50 richest countries in GDP per capita by their innovation index. The top 10 are as follows. Qatar with an index of 0.52 and a GDP per capita of 137 thousand US$. Luxembourg with respectively 1.54 and 122. Norway 1.14 and 102. Denmark 1.6 and 68. Switzerland 2.23 and 66. Ireland 1.88 and 65. Iceland 2.17 and 63. Sweden 1.64 and 56. Netherlands 1.55 and 55. Kuwait 0.06 and 55.

The line of fit of the innovation index and the GDP per capita of 110 countries suggests that high innovation indexes emerge in countries that enjoy GDP per capita that are a multiple of the median. This seems to invalidate the popular wisdom claim that necessity stimulates people's creative powers. But it also challenges the idea that the very rich are more adept to achieve high innovativeness through a generous provision of education, infrastructures and financial and material support. The oil-rent rich countries and the largest world economies do not score impressively well. Maybe the historian Toynbee is closer to the truth when sustaining that too much hardship crushes the ability to prosper, whilst too easy a life breeds indolence and complacency, thus preventing great achievements. Success, at least for civilizations, said Toynbee, favours those who live in a mildly hostile environment stimulating them to reach out and accomplish prowesses.

International Innovation Index 2009 (Correlation of innovation with wealth)
Rank	Country	Overall Score ¹	Population 2008 (thousand)	GDP 2008 (billion US$)	GDP per capita (thousand US$)
1	Qatar	0.52	856	116.9	137
2	Luxembourg	1.54	472	57.6	122
3	Norway	1.14	4,727	481.1	102
4	Denmark	1.6	5,453	369.6	68
5	Switzerland	2.23	7,512	492.6	66
6	Ireland	1.88	4,380	285.0	65
7	Iceland	2.17	303	19.0	63
8	Sweden	1.64	9,160	512.9	56
9	Netherlands	1.55	16,450	909.5	55
10	Kuwait	0.06	2,919	159.7	55
11	Finland	1.87	5,293	281.2	53
12	Austria	1.15	8,391	432.4	52
13	Australia	1.02	20,951	1,069.0	51
14	France	1.12	61,946	2,978.0	48
15	Belgium	0.86	10,480	495.4	47
16	Canada	1.42	33,170	1,564.0	47
17	United States	1.8	308,798	14,330.0	46
18	Germany	1.12	82,534	3,818.0	46
19	United Kingdom	1.42	61,019	2,787.0	46
20	Italy	0.21	58,946	2,399.0	41
21	Japan	1.79	127,938	4,844.0	38
22	Spain	0.93	44,593	1,683.0	38
23	Singapore	2.45	4,490	154.5	34
24	Greece	0.12	11,172	373.5	33
25	New Zealand	0.77	4,215	135.7	32
26	Hong Kong SAR	1.88	7,279	223.8	31
27	Cyprus	0.63	864	25.6	30
28	Slovenia	0.37	2,002	57.0	28
29	Israel	1.36	7,045	188.7	27
30	Bahrain	0.27	766	19.7	26
31	Portugal	0.6	10,662	255.5	24
32	Czech Republic	0.41	10,183	217.2	21
33	Oman	-0.15	2,651	56.3	21
34	Malta	0.2	408	8.6	21
35	Slovakia	0.21	5,392	100.6	19
36	Saudi Arabia	-0.12	25,293	467.7	18
37	Trinidad and Tobago	-0.12	1,338	24.2	18
38	Korea, Republic of	2.26	48,388	857.5	18
39	Estonia	0.94	1,331	23.5	18
40	Latvia	0.12	2,265	33.9	15
41	Poland	-0.12	38,022	567.4	15
42	Lithuania	0.16	3,371	48.8	14
43	Croatia	-0.03	4,550	64.0	14
44	Hungary	0.51	10,000	131.4	13
45	Russian Federation	-0.09	141,780	1,757.0	12
46	Venezuela	-1.37	28,122	331.8	12
47	Chile	0.21	16,803	181.5	11
48	Mexico	-0.16	107,801	1,143.0	11
49	Turkey	-0.21	75,830	798.9	11
50	Romania	-0.29	21,344	213.9	10
51	Uruguay	-0.95	3,350	31.3	9.3
52	Kazakhstan	-0.23	15,532	141.2	9.1
53	Brazil	-0.59	194,228	1,665.0	8.6
54	Argentina	-0.97	39,934	338.7	8.5
55	Malaysia	1.12	27,027	214.7	7.9
56	Botswana	-0.47	1,906	13.8	7.2
57	Panama	-0.43	3,399	23.4	6.9
58	Costa Rica	-0.39	4,534	30.4	6.7
59	Bulgaria	-0.13	7,584	49.4	6.5
60	Mauritius	0.06	1,272	8.1	6.4
61	Azerbaijan	-0.54	8,534	53.3	6.2
62	South Africa	0.33	48,832	300.4	6.2
63	Colombia	-0.66	46,741	249.8	5.3
64	Algeria	-0.83	34,373	171.3	5.0
65	Jamaica	-0.75	2,728	13.5	4.94
66	Macedonia, FYR	-0.68	2,040	9.6	4.72
67	Peru	-1.06	28,221	131.4	4.66
68	Ukraine	-0.45	45,859	198.0	4.32
69	Thailand	0.12	64,316	272.1	4.23
70	Albania	-0.49	3,208	13.5	4.21
71	Ecuador	-1.11	13,481	54.7	4.06
72	Armenia	-0.66	2,996	12.1	4.03
73	Tunisia	0.14	10,440	41.8	4.00
74	Namibia	-1.07	2,102	7.8	3.70
75	El Salvador	-0.77	6,953	22.3	3.20
76	China	0.73	1,336,311	4,222.0	3.16
77	Jordan	-0.15	6,119	19.1	3.12
78	Georgia	-0.72	4,361	13.3	3.05
79	Morocco	-0.57	31,606	90.5	2.86
80	Guatemala	-0.99	13,686	36.3	2.65
81	Paraguay	-0.89	6,238	16.4	2.62
82	Indonesia	-0.57	234,342	510.8	2.18
83	Syrian Arab Republic	-1.03	20,447	44.5	2.18
84	Egypt	-0.47	76,840	158.3	2.06
85	Sri Lanka	-0.56	19,394	38.0	1.96
86	Bolivia	-1.02	9,694	18.9	1.95
87	Honduras	-0.79	7,246	13.8	1.90
88	Mongolia	-0.9	2,654	5.0	1.88
89	Philippines	-0.15	89,651	168.6	1.88
90	Moldova	-0.8	3,760	6.2	1.65
91	Nigeria	-0.95	151,478	220.3	1.45
92	Cameroon	-1.32	18,920	25.0	1.32
93	Zambia	-1.28	12,154	15.2	1.25
94	Nicaragua	-1.18	5,676	6.6	1.16
95	Senegal	-1.06	12,688	13.9	1.10
96	India	0.06	1,186,186	1,237.0	1.04
97	Viet Nam	-0.65	88,537	90.9	1.03
98	Pakistan	-0.82	166,961	160.9	0.964
99	Kyrgyzstan	-0.78	5,376	5.1	0.939
100	Lesotho	-0.22	2,020	1.7	0.818
101	Kenya	-1.01	38,550	31.4	0.815
102	Benin	-1.28	9,309	6.9	0.745
103	Tajikistan	-0.99	6,839	4.8	0.700
104	Burkina Faso	-0.97	15,213	8.2	0.542
105	Madagascar	-1.16	20,215	9.7	0.481
106	Uganda	-0.96	31,903	15.0	0.471
107	Nepal	-1.05	28,757	12.6	0.440
108	Zimbabwe	-1.63	13,481	4.5	0.337
109	Ethiopia	-0.75	85,219	25.1	0.294
110	Burundi	-1.54	8,856	0.9	0.102
¹ 2009 overall innovation index calculated by the Manufacturing Institute.

Sources: see Manufacturing Institute for the innovation index, United Nations Population Division for population data, and CIA - The World Factbook for GDP estimates.

areppim: information, pure and simple

International Innovation Index 2009(Correlation of innovation with wealth)

Rank

Country

Overall Score ¹

Population 2008(thousand)

GDP 2008(billion US$)

GDP per capita(thousand US$)

International Innovation Index 2009
(Correlation of innovation with wealth)

Population 2008
(thousand)

GDP 2008
(billion US$)

GDP per capita
(thousand US$)