The United States continues to rank as a top destination for businesses to invest in or start new companies, a United Nations report shows.
Northern America — consisting of the U.S. and Canada — is the top “innovation” region in the world, according to the U.N.’s Global Innovation Index 2019.

The index drew on 80 indicators in making its innovation assessment, including access to a skilled workforce, high-tech infrastructure and credit. Another factor: strong intellectual property laws that allow entrepreneurs and inventors to own their ideas and have the exclusive right to use them to make money from their hard work.
The United States ranked first in market sophistication, which looks at availability of credit; investment; and trade, competition and market scale.

The annual report from the U.N.’s World Intellectual Property Organization looks at the regulatory and private sector environments in 129 economies to evaluate their level of innovation and business potential.