Tech

Three rankings that measure technological capacity: high-technology exports, patent applications by residents, and R&D spending as a share of GDP — the resources put in, the intellectual property produced, and the exports that result.

Moving between them exposes the gap between investment and outcome. Japan led the world on R&D share of GDP in 1996 and ranks 6th in 2023, having actually raised its ratio by 0.8 percentage points; it fell five places because other countries raised theirs faster. In this table, increasing your investment and losing rank at the same time is entirely normal.