The World Intellectual Property Organisation ranked India the world’s top exporter of information, computer and telecom services, and also the 60th most innovative nation. The rankings were part of the Global Innovation Index 2017 released on June 15.

Switzerland topped the 130-country index followed by Sweden, Netherlands and the United States.

In its 10th edition, the index said India was rising fast as an innovation centre in Asia. China was ranked 22. “Innovation is the engine of economic growth in an increasingly knowledge-based global economy, but more investment is needed to help boost human creativity and economic output,” said WIPO Director General Francis Gurry. “Innovation can help transform the current economic upswing into longer-term growth.”

The index was prepared by the organisation in collaboration with Cornell University and INSEAD, the France-based business school. “India has shown improvement in most areas, including in infrastructure, business sophistication, knowledge and technology and creative outputs,” the report said.

“Public policy plays a pivotal role in creating an enabling environment conducive to innovation,” said Chandrajit Banerjee, Director General, Confederation of Indian Industry. “In the last two years, we have seen important activities around the GII in India like the formation of India’s high-level Task Force on Innovation and consultative exercises on both innovation policy and better innovation metrics.”

India also did well when compared to other middle-income economies in science and engineering graduates, gross capital formation, research talent, growth rate of GDP per worker and other factors.