BRICS countries are pacesetters in the regions where they are located and are leading scientific and technological innovation among neighboring countries, according to a report released on Tuesday.

The report, compiled by the China Science and Technology Exchange Center, shows that the research and development expenditure of the BRICS nations — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — now accounts for approximately 17 percent of the world's total.

Their exports of high-tech products are worth nearly $6 trillion, accounting for 28 percent of the global total. Meanwhile, the total number of scientific papers published by BRICS members has reached 590,000, accounting for 27 percent of the total worldwide, which indicates that the five countries are making increasingly greater contributions to and having a greater effect on global science and technology innovation.

Based on the latest data available, the report offers a comprehensive analysis and rating of the innovative competitiveness of the BRICS countries, with China ranking top, followed by Russia, South Africa, Brazil and India.

The report also found that from 2001 to 2016, the BRICS nations as a whole showed a rising trend in national innovative competitiveness, with China and Russia developing at a fast speed, India in the middle, and Brazil and South Africa developing at a comparatively slower pace.

The report predicts that the coming five years will see the BRICS members continue to improve in terms of national innovative competitiveness, with China and Russia maintaining strong growth momentum, India growing at a moderate rate, and Brazil and South Africa picking up speed gradually.

It also estimates that the five countries' national innovative competitiveness will maintain steady growth till 2030.