The European Innovation Scoreboard 2024 shows 0,5% growth in innovation in Europe

The European Union’s innovation performance has increased by 10% since 2017 and by 0.5% since last year, according to the 2024 edition of the European Innovation Scoreboard 2024 (EIS).

Most EU Member States have improved their innovation performance, although the increase varies considerably between countries. Fifteen Member States have improved their performance in the last year, while 11 have regressed and one has remained stable, according to the European Commission.

Key Results of the European Innovation Scoreboard 2024

This report classifies Member States into four innovation groups based on their scores:

• Innovation Leaders: Performance above 125% of the EU average. They excel in attractive research systems and strong digitalization. Among them are the most innovative countries in the EU, with Denmark leading. Sweden, which led the rankings between 2017 and 2022, is in second place, followed by Finland and the Netherlands.
• Strong Innovators: Performance between 100% and 125% of the EU average. They show significant strengths in their innovation ecosystems, including product and business innovations. This category includes Belgium, Austria, Ireland, Luxembourg, Germany, Cyprus, Estonia, and France.
• Moderate Innovators: Performance between 70% and 100% of the EU average. Among them, there are positive trends, especially in developing research collaborations. This group includes Slovenia, Spain, Czechia, Italy, Malta, Lithuania, Portugal, Greece, and Hungary.
• Emerging Innovators: Performance below 70% of the EU average. Although these countries have shown a positive trajectory in innovation performance, they still lag. Croatia, Poland, Slovakia, Latvia, Bulgaria, and Romania are considered Emerging Innovators.

Compared to last year's edition, two countries have changed categories. Estonia has become a Strong Innovator after steady growth since 2017. Belgium, which was an Innovation Leader in 2023, has fallen to the Strong Innovators category, although it has maintained its fifth position in the overall ranking.

While performance differences have slightly narrowed between Strong Innovators and Moderate Innovators from 2017 to 2024, they have become more pronounced between Innovation Leaders and Emerging Innovators. Geographical disparities in innovation performance persist, with Innovation Leaders and most Strong Innovators predominantly located in Northern and Western Europe, while many Moderate and Emerging Innovators are in Southern and Eastern Europe.

A broader analysis, including other European countries and selected global competitors, shows a changing international landscape. Switzerland is the most innovative European country, and South Korea remains the most innovative global competitor in 2024, while China has surpassed Japan and is progressively closing the gap with the EU.

The EU in the Global Context

The EU maintains a strong position, with good performance in most indicators, including the introduction of product and process innovations by SMEs and technologies related to the environment. However, the EU still faces challenges compared to its main global competitors in areas such as intellectual assets, collaboration among innovative SMEs, and business sector R&D expenditure.

What is the European Innovation Scoreboard?

The European Innovation Scoreboard is an annual publication by the European Commission that, since 2001, provides a comparative assessment of the research and innovation performance of EU countries, neighboring countries, and global competitors. It is based on 32 indicators covering the economy, business and entrepreneurship, innovation profiles, governance and policy framework, climate change, and demographics.

Both sets of indicators provide a comprehensive assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of innovation at national and regional levels. This allows countries to identify areas for improvement, track progress, and pinpoint priority areas to boost innovation performance.