15 Most Advanced Countries in Asia in 2024

2. Singapore

Global Innovation Index Rank (2023): 5

R&D Expenditure as a Share of GDP (2020): 2.16%

Human Development Index Score (2022): 0.949

Overall Score: 3.2

Singapore is commonly cited as one of Asia’s great success stories. It is the most technologically advanced country in the continent and is ranked fifth in the world, according to the Global Innovation Index. Several major multinational corporations have their Asia regional headquarters in the country. Singapore also ranks among the best countries in the world for human development, with a HDI score of 0.949 in 2022. The country spends a little over two percent of its GDP on R&D expenditure.