The US has been ranked as the world’s most innovative country, according to a report by global pharmaceutical and biologics company Astra Zeneca.

The report stated: “Americans are most likely to consider their own country as the most innovative in the world, followed by Japan. Three in 10 American participants also feel that the US will be the most innovative country in 2020, while 15% opt for Japan. Americans also see their country as the most supportive of innovative people and companies, though six in 10 feel that the US is not as innovative as it used to be.”

The survey, which polled 6000 individuals across six countries spanning Asia, Europe and North America, found that the top five countries perceived as the most innovative were the US, Japan, China, India and Germany, respectively.

By the year 2020 however, those polled expect the situation to have change. In 10 years' time most participants said that China would be the most innovative country in the world, followed by India and the US.

Astra Zeneca’s report also showed that the definition of innovation was very different depending on the region of those polled. In Asia, the highest proportion of respondents felt that instant global communication is the greatest innovation of the past century, whereas in the West, respondents feel that this is more related to the eradication or improvement of survival rates of serious diseases. Yet around the world, science and computing are considered the most innovative areas of expertise.