Technology is the application of scientific knowledge, such as techniques, skills, methods, and processes, to practical aims such as the production of goods and services or the accomplishment of objectives. Technology is used to improve the human experience in countless ways and encompasses entertainment, the economy, communications, medicine, and more. Technology has advanced throughout human history (though at varying speeds) and has accelerated greatly over the past 100-150 years in particular. Technology is advancing rapidly across much of the world, but some countries are ahead of the pack, enabling their citizens to enjoy advanced benefits including more efficient transportation, the best healthcare, and green initiatives.
Innovative countries compared to technologically advanced countries
Technological advancement is closely related to innovation, which is reflected in the fact that many of the world's most innovative countries are also among the most technologically advanced. However, the two rankings are not necessarily mirror images of one another; there are too many different ways in which a country can be innovative or technologically advanced and too many ways to measure technological advancement.
For example, Bloomberg ranked the United States 11th in the world for innovation in 2021. But other agencies and methodologies rank the U.S. anywhere from the top spot to outside the top 10 in terms of technological advancement, depending upon the specific criteria being measured and the methods of measurement in use.
Top 10 Countries for Technological Expertise - Best Countries Report 2021
- Japan
- South Korea
- China
- United States
- Germany
- Russia
- United Kingdom
- Singapore
- Israel
- Switzerland
The annual Best Countries Report, a joint venture between U.S. News and World Report, the BAV Group, and Wharton Business College, places the United States fourth out of 78 countries in terms of Technological Expertise. This does not necessarily mean that every resident of a country enjoys the fruits of this expertise or possesses technological expertise, but that the country as a whole ranks highly for it.
Determining the most technologically advanced countries in the world
As previously mentioned, there is no standard or universally accepted method for determining the most technologically advanced nations on Earth. As a result, each individual source's rankings are likely to differ at least slightly from one another. However, when viewed as a whole, certain trends do emerge. To ease the comparison, this article has compiled the rankings of ten different source lists, from sources including Global Finance and Insider Monkey, and created a single unified list that takes into account both the likelihood of and ranking of the countries on each source list:
Top 20 Most Technologically Advanced Countries - aggregate rankings (10 sources)
| Aggregate Rank | Country | Total Score | Frequency | Average Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Japan | 80 | 90% | 2.1 |
| 2 | United States | 78 | 100% | 3.2 |
| 3 | South Korea | 71 | 90% | 3.1 |
| 4 | Germany | 43 | 80% | 5.6 |
| 5 | Singapore | 40 | 80% | 6.0 |
| 6 | United Kingdom | 32 | 80% | 7.0 |
| 7 | Sweden | 29 | 70% | 6.9 |
| 8 | Israel | 28 | 60% | 6.3 |
| 9 | China | 26 | 40% | 4.5 |
| 10 | Switzerland | 18 | 40% | 6.5 |
| 11 | Russia | 17 | 40% | 6.8 |
| 12 | Canada | 16 | 60% | 8.3 |
| 13 | Finland | 16 | 40% | 7.0 |
| 14 | Netherlands | 13 | 20% | 4.5 |
| 15 | Norway | 10 | 10% | 1.0 |
| 16 | Denmark | 7 | 10% | 4.0 |
| 17 | India | 5 | 10% | 6.0 |
| 18 | United Arab Emirates | 3 | 10% | 8.0 |
| 19 | Australia | 2 | 10% | 9.0 |
| 20 | Hong Kong (China SAR) | 1 | 10% | 10.0 |