Which of the following statement(s) is/are correct regarding the Global Innovation Index 2024? i. Switzerland maintained its posi…

Current Affairs ·Previously asked in JKCCE 2024

View the full solved paper: JKCCE Prelims 2024 — General Studies Paper I

Question

Which of the following statement(s) is/are correct regarding the Global Innovation Index 2024?

i. Switzerland maintained its position as the global leader in innovation

ii. India ranked 39th in the Global Innovation Index 2024

iii. India secured the top position among lower middle-income countries

iv. Singapore moves up to second position, leading in several innovation indicators

Select the answer using the code given below.

  1. A. i, ii and iii only (Correct answer)
  2. B. i, ii and iv only
  3. C. i, iii and iv only
  4. D. ii, iii and iv only

Correct Answer

Option A — i, ii and iii only

Detailed Solution & Explanation

The correct answer is i, ii and iii only.

Key Points

  • Statement i is correct. Switzerland retained the top position in the Global Innovation Index 2024 — it has led the ranking every year since 2011.
  • Statement ii is correct. India ranked 39th out of 133 economies.
  • Statement iii is correct. India ranked first among the lower middle-income group of economies.
  • Statement iv is incorrect. Singapore did not move up to second place. The top of the 2024 ranking read Switzerland, Sweden, the United States, Singapore and the United Kingdom — Singapore was fourth.

Additional Information

  • The Global Innovation Index is published by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), a specialised agency of the United Nations headquartered in Geneva. It has been produced annually since 2007, latterly with the Portulans Institute and corporate partners.
  • The GII measures innovation across roughly 80 indicators, grouped into innovation inputs — institutions, human capital and research, infrastructure, market sophistication and business sophistication — and innovation outputs — knowledge and technology outputs, and creative outputs.
  • India's climb has been sustained: from 81st in 2015 to 39th, driven by a large research and development base, a strong ICT services export sector, a growing venture capital ecosystem and a large domestic market. India leads on indicators such as ICT services exports, venture capital received and graduates in science and engineering.
  • India also hosts one of the world's largest startup ecosystems, and the NITI Aayog India Innovation Index applies a comparable methodology across Indian states.
  • Other indices to keep distinct, since they are frequently confused in exam questions: the Human Development Index (UNDP), the Ease of Doing Business ranking (World Bank, discontinued in 2021), the Global Hunger Index (Concern Worldwide and Welthungerhilfe), the World Happiness Report (UN SDSN), the Corruption Perceptions Index (Transparency International), the Global Competitiveness Report (World Economic Forum) and the Environmental Performance Index (Yale and Columbia).

Topics covered: Global Indices Innovation Current Affairs