Research excellence and industry employment are not the same thing. The USA's Medical Alley (Minneapolis) has 1,000+ device companies. Denmark has more hearing aid companies per capita than anywhere on earth. Ireland produces 60% of the orthopedic devices sold in Europe.
The critical distinction in this sector is between research employment and industry employment. The UK, Australia, and Netherlands have world-class biomedical research universities — but research institutes are not the same as commercial device manufacturers. Ireland is the most underrated Tier 1: 60% of European orthopedic device supply comes from Irish manufacturing sites (Boston Scientific Galway, Stryker Cork, Medtronic Dublin). Denmark is the global capital of hearing aid technology — Oticon, GN ReSound, and Widex (now WSAudiology) together hold over 60% of the world market.
See exactly which countries give you the best shot at these companies — scored, ranked, and sourced.