The World Economic Forum this week published its Networked Readiness Index which measures how well an economy is using information and communications technologies to boost its competitiveness and well-being.
In a study of 139 economies, the forum found that several superpowers populate the top 10 list led by Singapore. Finland, Sweden and Norway hold the second, third and fourth place spots followed by the United States with a global rank of five. Rounding out the top 10 is the Netherlands, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Luxembourg and Japan, in that order.
The report notes that Singapore's ranking is largely the result of strong government commitment to the digital agenda. Specifically, the country makes excellent use of digital technologies to provide access to basic and government services while ensuring that schools are connected.
Finland, meanwhile, has good access to the latest technologies as well as venture capital and its businesses are highly connected. The US stands out due to its favorable business and innovation environment, resulting in the creation of one of the most agile and digitized business sectors in the world.
Outside of the top 10, the report highlights several nations that have made significant improvements over the past year. Italy, for example, climbed 10 spots to its current rank of 45, Kuwait jumped from 72 to 61 while the Slovak Republic improved its position by 12 spots.
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