supercomputer. But despite a massive focus on technological development, the United States

is far from the most technologically advanced country. So, what ARE the most technologically

advanced countries?

Now, some studies list internet speed, or social media use as measures of advancement.

But technologically powerful countries are only possible through a combination of research,

development, scientific talent, and innovation. Luckily, CityLab created a Global Technology

Index combining all of these metrics.

First on the list is Finland. Finland happens to be the birthplace of one of the largest

mobile phone producers and innovators, Nokia. But more importantly, they also spend 3 and

a half percent of their GDP on technological research and development. This amounts to

nearly 10 billion dollars a year. By comparison this is the same percentage that the United

States spends on their military. Finland also has the highest number of scientific and engineering

researchers per capita, along with one of the best educational systems in the world.

Their advancements in biotechnology and clean energy speak to the importance of tech in

shaping our actual, everyday lives.

Next on the list is Japan. Japan is well known for its contributions to the technological

revolution. Much of this success can be attributed to government allocation and investment during

the mid to late 20th century. Japan’s Ministry of International Trade and Industry involved

Japan in early semiconductor development, while keeping foreign competition away and

exchange rates low. This put them ahead of the rest of the world, and resulted in a long

reign of dominating semiconductor and microcontroller sales. Today, Japan is one of the leading

tech innovators, with the second highest number of patents per capita.

In third place is the United States. While the US is first in patents per capita, it

is better known for hosting the world’s biggest tech companies. 8 of the top 12 by

revenue are based in the US, with a COMBINED revenue nearing a trillion dollars. Nearly

all 20th century, world-changing tech developments, like nuclear energy, integrated circuitry,

even the internet itself, were developed through US defense spending. But despite accounting

for a third of the entire world’s technology budget, there are a number of reasons the

US doesn’t take home the gold. First and foremost is the monopolistic lack of internet

access and speed due to under regulation of internet service providers. The US also falls

way behind in science and technology education, ranking average and below average compared

to other OECD countries. Most importantly, however, the US has massively reallocated

their military budget away from science and tech research. That money instead goes towards

expenditures like the department of homeland security.

It is clear that today’s tech landscape is rapidly changing. New technologies are

springing up all over the world, and the entry barrier is as low as it has ever been. It

will certainly be interesting to see which countries will come to dominate the technologically

advanced future.

Finland might be the most technologically advanced country - but it doesn’t have the

fastest internet. To learn which country has the best connection, check out our video now.

Thanks for watching TestTube News and please subscribe!