Switzerland has been named the most innovative country in the world is for the second year in a row.

It was followed by the United Kingdom (UK), Sweden, the Netherlands, and the United States of America (USA) as the world’s five most-innovative places on the planet, according to an index published by a United Nations agency.

This confirms a persistent global innovation divide -with the set of economics in the top 10 and 25 remaining unaltered.

"The top 25 countries … consistently score well in most indicators and have strengths in areas such as ICT and business sophistication … they also create high levels of measurable outputs including creative goods and services," the report said.

The World Intellectual Property Organization's (WIPO) global innovation index singled out countries that are outpacing those with similar rates of economic growth. These were China, Malaysia, Vietnam, India, Jordan, Kenya and Uganda. It also argued that innovation-driven growth is no longer limited to high-income countries.

"Innovation holds far-reaching promise for spurring economic growth in countries at all stages of development. However, realizing this promise is not automatic. Each nation must spur growth by building on local strengths,” WIPO director general Francis Gurry said.

The GII surveys 141 economies around the world, using 79 indicators to gauge both innovative capabilities and measurable results.

1. Switzerland (Number 1 in 2014)

2. United Kingdom

3. Sweden

4. Netherlands

5. US

6. Finland

7. Singapore

8. Ireland

9. Luxembourg

10. Denmark