But what exactly is the GKI, and why does it matter?

Launched in 2017 by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation (MBRF), the GKI is a one-of-a-kind tool designed to measure how countries perform across key pillars of knowledge and development. It covers seven sectors: Pre-University Education; Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET); Higher Education; Research, Development and Innovation (RDI); Information and Communications Technology (ICT); Economy; and Enabling Environment. The GKI offers a holistic view of what drives progress in today’s knowledge-driven world, serving as a guiding resource for policymakers, researchers, and the private sector. The 2024 edition, covering 141 countries of which 37 are OECD members, builds on the refined methodology introduced in 2021 and sets the stage for a revised index in 2025 that will better reflect shifting global trends.

Who’s leading the knowledge race in 2024?

All top 10 performers in the GKI 2024 are OECD member countries, with nearly all scoring above the global average, except for Mexico. This demonstrates OECD’s sustained commitment to advancing human capital, fostering innovation ecosystems, and strengthening digital infrastructure. Notably, Japan is the only OECD country not included in this year’s index, due to missing data in two sectors: Pre-university education and TVET.

Moreover, the majority of OECD countries rank in the 'Very High Human Development' category, according to the 2023 HDI results , with the exceptions of Mexico and Colombia falling under the 'High' category. The HDI and GKI are closely related and move in the same direction further emphasizing how investing in knowledge drives human progress and economic prosperity.

OECD countries set the pace in education-related sectors

OECD countries consistently outperform the global average across all seven sectors of the GKI. In education specifically, two OECD members lead in two out of the three education-related sectors. Canada tops the pre-university education sector, reflecting its inclusive and equitable policies, high upper-secondary completion rates, and strong student outcomes – evident in its high PISA scores and learning-adjusted years of schooling. Although recent data on teacher training and investment in pre-university education is not available, an OECD overview conducted a decade ago highlighted Canada’s advantage in having a highly qualified teaching workforce and public investment levels above the OECD average – factors that have likely contributed to the development of a strong and resilient education system today. Luxembourg ranks first in the higher education sector, distinguished by the highest government expenditure per tertiary student and the lowest pupil-teacher ratio in tertiary education globally. The country also boasts high educational attainment rates, particularly at the master’s and bachelor’s levels, and hosts the highest share of international mobile students globally.

Despite OECD’s overall strong performance in higher education, some OECD countries continue to face high unemployment rates among individuals with advanced education. This underscores a growing skills mismatch between educational systems and the evolving demands of labour markets. How can these economies bridge the skills gap and better prepare future generations for the workforce of tomorrow?

Innovation systems are robust, though societal innovation outputs lag behind

Beyond education, OECD countries also dominate the RDI sector, with all of the top 10 performers in this year’s rankings belonging to the organisation. The RDI framework is built around three main pillars: inputs, outputs, and impact. Both the inputs and outputs pillars are further divided into three sub-pillars that assess performance across R&D institutions, business enterprises, and societal innovation. This year’s data reveals a strong positive correlation between the inputs and outputs, particularly within R&D institutions and business enterprises. However, this trend does not extend to societal innovation, highlighting a persistent gap in transforming R&D investments into widespread social impact – this is particularly the case among OECD countries, where the correlation is actually negative, in contrast to the weaker but still positive relationship observed globally.

Despite scoring significantly above the global average on inputs related to societal innovation, OECD countries do not exhibit a corresponding strength in societal innovation outputs. One key indicator where this gap is pronounced is printing and publishing output as a percentage of total manufactured output, an indicator where OECD members fall below the global average. This gap may reflect the impact of structural shifts, such as the digital transition and the decline of traditional media.

Leading ICT infrastructure faced by talent gaps

Seven of the top ten performers in the ICT sector are OECD countries, an outcome that underscores their strong advantage in digital infrastructure and widespread ICT adoption. These nations benefit from robust network coverage, high-speed mobile and fixed broadband services, and widespread ICT usage across society. A key factor that distinguishes these countries’ ICT infrastructure, is affordability. OECD countries tend to have significantly lower costs for both mobile and fixed broadband baskets, making connectivity more accessible to the wider population. This affordability plays a crucial role in enhancing digital inclusion and boosting overall ICT performance

Yet, in spite of surpassing global averages across nearly all ICT indicators, more than half of OECD countries fall below the global average when it comes to the share of tertiary graduates from ICT programs. Italy, for instance, has the lowest share, with only 1.53% of its tertiary graduates coming from ICT fields. This discrepancy raises critical questions:

Could this growing talent gap lead to digital sector labour shortages? And will it undermine these leading economies' human capital readiness for the digital future?

skills are already posing challenges for local labour markets. Employers both in Europe and the US are increasingly facing ICT-related labour shortages, where the lack of relevant digital skills is becoming a barrier to both investment and growth. If unaddressed, this mismatch between educational outputs and labour market needs may hamper countries' ability to fully leverage digital transformation opportunities.

Strong economies, fragile environment?

Nine of the top ten countries with the highest scores in the enabling environment sector are OECD countries, highlighting their strength in socio-economic, governance and health factors. Yet, OECD countries fell short in one sub-pillar: environmental performance. With an average score of 50.2, they lagged behind a global average of 56.8. This result is driven by low renewable energy consumption and high ecological footprint per capita, underscoring the environmental trade-offs that often accompany advanced economic development.

To maintain global leadership, OECD countries must address these gaps in an evolving knowledge landscape

As OECD countries remain at the forefront of knowledge-driven growth, innovation, and digital readiness, they continue to lead across the majority of the GKI sectors. Yet, the 2024 GKI results highlight critical challenges that should be addressed – such as environmental sustainability and ICT-related labour shortages. As the world moves increasingly toward a knowledge-based future, OECD countries are well positioned to lead the way, provided they continue adapting to emerging global priorities while building on their institutional strength and economic resilience.