Morocco is one of the leading countries in North Africa according to the 2018 Global Innovation Index. Ranked 76th among 126 nations and 2nd in North Africa, the Kingdom's economy is considered to be one of the most innovative ones in the MENA region. Morocco is one of the most innovative countries in the Middle East and North Africa region. According to the 2018 edition of the Global Innovation Index, the Kingdom is ranked 76th in a list that includes 126 nations and 2nd in North Africa. Published on the 10th of July by Cornell University, an American university and INSEAD with the help of the World Intellectual Property Organization and other institutions, the 11th edition of the survey ranks the North African Kingdom 8th in the North Africa and Middle East region behind United Arab Emirates 38th, Qatar 51st, Kuwait 60th, Saudi Arabia 61st, Oman 69th and Bahrain 72nd and ahead of Jordan 79th and Lebanon 90th. Although Morocco managed to maintain a good position in North Africa, it fell in this year's ranking. Last year Rabat was positioned 72nd in the World and had a score that bordered 33 points out of 100. This year Morocco scored only 31.09, topped by Tunisia 66th and ahead of Egypt 76th, and Algeria 110th. A leading innovative country in North Africa Talking numbers, Morocco performed the best when it comes to the Infrastructure sub-index, scoring 49.5 points and ranked 50th. For Creative outputs, the country is in the 70th place with 27.1 points. The Kingdom is 75th in the world with a score of 57 points when it comes to institutions related to innovation. For Knowledge and technology, Rabat has 19.9 points and is positioned 78th. When it comes to the Human Capital Research sub-index, Morocco ranks 84th with 25. 1 points. The nation's lowest score is related to Market Sophistication where Morocco had 42.2 points taking the 93rd position of the ranking. For Business Sophistication, the Kingdom scored 19.7 points and was ranked 115, its lowest score so far. The Global Innovation Index was topped by Switzerland (1st) followed by the Netherlands (2nd), Sweden (3rd), the United Kingdom (4th) and Singapore (5th). Based on subjective and objective data collected by the World Bank, and the World Economic Forum, this yearly report ranks countries by their capacity to bring innovation to their economies. It is used by corporate and government officials to compare and determine the level of innovation put forward by every single country. According to the authors of the reports its major objective is to «create new sources of innovation-driven growth…smart and digital agricultural innovation and better diffusion to developing countries».
