Most innovative countries (2004-2008)

Source: Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) 2009

What makes a country innovative?
In the EIU’s index, innovation is defined as the application of knowledge in a novel way, primarily for economic benefit. The index measures the innovative performance of companies and combines the result with the innovation environment created by governments. The Netherlands climbed this ranking from ninth position on the index for 2002–2006.