Knowledge Project launches the first Global Knowledge Index

28th November 2017

During the 2017 Knowledge Summit in Dubai, the Knowledge Project launched the first Global Knowledge Index (GKI). GKI is an initiative focusing on knowledge as a comprehensive interdisciplinary concept related to all aspects of human life, including cultural, social and economic activities. Central to the index is the belief that knowledge drives sustainable and comprehensive human development.

The GKI 2017 seeks to establish an objective tool to measure knowledge in the context of supporting the achievement of sustainable development around the world, including 131 countries in its first edition. The GKI compiles 133 variables from reliable and updated international data sources, and is a composite index structured around seven sectoral indices:

  • Pre-University Education
  • Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET)
  • Higher Education
  • Research, Development and Innovation (RDI)
  • Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
  • Economy
  • General Enabling Environment

According to the Index, Switzerland is the best-performing country in the world with a total score of 71.8 out of 100, followed by Singapore (69.5), Finland (68.5), Sweden (68.3), the Netherlands (68) and the United States of America (67.2), Luxembourg (66.2), United Kingdom (65.6), Denmark (65.2) and Norway (64.3). Other countries of notable performance include the Philippines ranking 4th and Azerbaijan 11th at the global level in the Technical Vocational Education and Training Index; and the UAE ranking 2nd at the global level in the Economy Index.

The Global Knowledge Index is published by the Knowledge Project, a partnership between the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation (MBRF), supported by a core team of authors, and an advisory board with leading international experts in the areas related to the sectoral indices and knowledge. 

The Report is available in full for free download at the following links:

More information about the Index and the Knowledge Project, in addition to interactive country profiles can be found on the Knowledge4All website.

Photo credit: House of Knowledge Variation1 | Adrien Sifre Flickr CC BY NC ND 2.0