The Netherlands loses leader status in EU innovation ranking

The Netherlands has lost its place among Europe’s innovation leaders, according to the European Innovation Scoreboard (EIS) published by the European Commission. The EIS provides a comparative analysis of innovation performance in EU and other European countries, based on indicators such as the education status of the population, research activities and impact of businesses in knowledge-intensive sectors.

The performance of the Netherlands had already been slightly declining relative to the EU average in recent years, but after a relatively strong decline in 2021, it dropped below the 125 percent better-than-average mark required to qualify for innovation leader status. With a score of 123, the Netherlands is still labeled as a strong innovator.

Europe’s innovation leaders are Belgium (for the first time), Denmark, Finland and Sweden.