The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization has ranked Israel's spending on global research and development as second in the world in terms of percentage of the country's gross domestic product.
"According to UNESCO, Israel ranks second in global R&D spending as a % of GDP! This investment is necessary to promote the U.N.'s Global Sustainable Development Goals, and achieving progress," Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Danny Danon tweeted Tuesday.
Israel was topped only by South Korea, and was ahead of Japan, Finland, Switzerland, Sweden, Austria, Denmark, Germany and the United States.
Israel's relations with the U.N.'s cultural agency have deteriorated in recent years following a serious of anti-Israel resolutions questioning, among other things, the Jewish link to Jerusalem.
Israel suspended its membership in UNESCO in December, as did the United States, which maintains observer status.