New Zealand has risen two places to be ranked 13th in the world in the Global Innovation Index.
The index covers 141 countries and is prepared by the European Institute of Business Administration and the World Intellectual Property Organisation.
The index scored New Zealand highly for access to tertiary study and length of schooling.
It also ranked the country as the easiest place in the world to start a new business and the place with the greatest number of new businesses per head of population.
The index scored New Zealand down for its low levels of research and development investment.
Switzerland, Sweden and Singapore top the rankings. Australia was 23rd.
