The results of a recent study indicate that according to the Global Talent Competitiveness Index in 2023, Iran has a notable number of individuals with innovative and scientific skills but ranks among the worst countries in terms of preserving and supporting human capital.
This study, conducted by INSEAD, one of the world’s largest business schools, and simultaneously published in the United States and France, shows that Iran ranks 116th out of 134 countries in the overall ranking of this index, alongside countries such as Zimbabwe, Nicaragua, and Bangladesh.
However, Iran has shown significant performance in categories such as “innovation output,” “scientific publications,” “researchers,” “university rankings,” and “urbanization.” In these categories, Iran ranks 37th or higher than countries like India, Russia, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, and Egypt.
In the category of “scientific publications,” which measures the number of scientific and technical journal articles per 10,000 population, Iran ranks 40th, higher than Russia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and China.
In the category of “researchers,” which measures the number of full-time researchers per million population, Iran ranks 43rd, surpassing China, Egypt, and India.
In the “university rankings” category, Iran ranks 46th, higher than Turkey, Greece, Egypt, and Hungary.
These results indicate that Iran is globally leading in terms of scientific and technological production. Iran possesses a skilled and educated workforce that can play a significant role in technology development and innovation.
However, the weak performance of the Iranian regime in areas such as “corruption,” “individual rights,” “political stability,” “rule of law,” “government effectiveness,” “economic empowerment of women,” and “leadership opportunities for women” has led Iran to rank very low in the overall ranking of this index.
In the “corruption” category, Iran ranks 120th, only ahead of Bangladesh, Nigeria, and Zimbabwe.
In the “individual rights” category, Iran ranks 123rd, alongside countries like Belarus and Saudi Arabia.
In the “political stability” category, Iran ranks 129th, alongside countries like Congo, Burkina Faso, Pakistan, and Nigeria.
In the “rule of law” category, Iran ranks 119th, alongside Mali, Angola, Lebanon, and Belarus.
In the “government effectiveness” category, Iran ranks 120th, alongside Belarus, Zambia, Nigeria, and Zimbabwe.
In the “economic empowerment of women” category, Iran ranks 133rd, lower than Kuwait, which ranks 132nd.
In the “leadership opportunities for women” category, Iran ranks last at 134th and has the worst performance in this category.
This study shows that despite Iran’s considerable innovative potential, due to the weak performance of the government in key areas, it faces serious challenges in attracting and retaining human capital.
