Korea takes #1 in global ICT Development Index

In 2015, the Republic of Korea has been ranked at the top of ITU’s ICT Development Index (IDI), a composite measurement that ranks 167 countries according to their level of ICT access, use and skills. Republic of Korea is closely followed by Denmark and Iceland, in second and third place.

The IDI top 30 ranking includes countries from Europe and high-income nations from other regions including Australia, Bahrain, Barbados, Canada, Hong Kong (China), Japan, Macao (China), New Zealand, Singapore and the United States. Almost all countries surveyed improved their IDI ranking this year.

“ITU’s work in gathering and publishing statistics allows us to monitor the real progress being made in ICT development worldwide,” said Brahima Sanou, Director of ITU’s Telecommunication Development Bureau, which produces the report each year. “Progress is encouraging in many areas but more needs to be done – especially in the world’s poorest and remotest regions, where ICTs can arguably make the biggest difference, and help bring people everywhere out of extreme poverty.”

Over the past five years, there has been a widening of the gap in IDI values between countries ranked in the middle and those towards the bottom of the distribution. In the LDCs, the IDI grew less compared to other developing countries and LDCs are falling behind in particular in the IDI ‘use’ sub-index, which could impact on their ability to derive development gains from ICTs.

The report identifies a group of ‘most dynamic countries’, which have recorded above-average improvements in their IDI rank over the past five years. These include (in order of greatest change in IDI ranking): Costa Rica, Bahrain, Lebanon, Ghana, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Suriname, Kyrgyzstan, Belarus and Oman.

In Africa only one country, Mauritius, has an IDI value above the global average of 5.03, while three others (Seychelles, South Africa and Cape Verde) exceed the average value for developing countries of 4.12.

Altogether, 29 out of 37 African countries rank in the bottom quarter of the 2015 IDI, including the 11 countries with the lowest rankings of all, illustrating the importance of addressing the digital divide between Africa and other regions.

The average rise in IDI values in Africa between 2010 and 2015 was 0.65, lower than that in other regions in nominal terms, but from a lower base and therefore higher in proportion to the benchmark set in 2010. The most significant improvement was achieved by Ghana, which increased its IDI value by 1.92 points and rose 21 places in the global rankings. Other substantial improvements in the rankings were achieved by Lesotho, Cape Verde and Mali.

In the Americas, the United States, Canada and Barbados lead the IDI rankings, with IDI values above 7.50, and global rankings in the top thirty economies. These three countries significantly outperform all other countries in the region, with IDI levels approaching one whole point above the next highest regional performer, Uruguay. Some 29 of the region’s countries fall within the top half of the global rankings.

Countries in the Americas region have experienced some of the most significant movements up and down in global IDI rankings between 2010 and 2015. The most dynamic improvement worldwide was achieved by Costa Rica, which rose 23 places in the global rankings, while other substantial improvements were achieved by Suriname, Brazil, Barbados and Colombia. However, a number of countries, particularly in Central America and the Caribbean, fell significantly, including Belize, Cuba, Grenada, Jamaica and St. Kitts and Nevis.

In the Arab States region, the top five countries in terms of ICT development – Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait – are oil-rich high-income economies that are members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). These countries all have IDI values over 6.50 and are among the top fifty countries in the global rankings. Three of them (Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia) are among the ten countries which have seen the most dynamic improvements in IDI rankings and values since 2010, as are two other countries in the region (Lebanon and Oman).

There is a growing disparity, however, between these high-performing countries and those lower down the distribution. While GCC countries improved their IDI values by 1.78 points between 2010 and 2015, the average improvement for non-GCC countries was 0.89 points, the global average. The strong performance of GCC countries reflects the association between IDI and national income levels.

Asia-Pacific is the most diverse region in terms of ICT development, reflecting stark differences in levels of economic development. Six economies in the region – including the Republic of Korea, Hong Kong (China) and Japan – have IDI rankings in the top twenty of the global distribution. However, the region also includes ten of the Index’s least connected countries, including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.

Countries throughout the region, and particularly middle-income countries, have shown considerable improvements in their IDI values between 2010 and 2015, however. The most dynamic improvements in IDI rankings in the region were achieved by Thailand, Mongolia and Bhutan, which rose by 18, 13 and 9 places, respectively, in the global rankings during the period. The average growth in value for the region was 0.85 points, just below the global average.

The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) region shows the least variation of any region between its highest and lowest performing countries, reflecting the region’s relative economic homogeneity. All countries in the region have rankings in the top half of the overall distribution.

The average increase of 1.43 points in IDI values in the region since 2010 is considerably above the global average of 0.89. Belarus, the highest-ranking country in the region, improved its performance by 1.88 points and 14 places, while Kyrgyzstan, the region’s lowest-ranking country, also showed considerable improvement, rising by 1.60 points and 15 places.

In Europe, all countries, with the exception of Albania, exceed the global average IDI value of 5.03, and fall within the top half of countries in the IDI ranking, reflecting the region’s high levels of economic development. The region’s average IDI value rose between 2010 and 2015 from 6.48 to 7.35, an increase of 0.87 points. This is a highly positive performance given that all but one country in the region was already in the upper half of the distribution in 2010. The Europe region also has a relatively narrow range between its maximum and minimum IDI values, reflecting relative ICT sector and general economic homogeneity.

Positions at the top of the regional rankings are mostly held by countries in northern and western Europe, in particular by Nordic countries; while lower rankings are concentrated around the Mediterranean and in eastern Europe. Denmark is the region’s top performer, with an IDI value of 8.88, just ahead of Iceland, with an IDI value of 8.86, while the greatest improvement in IDI rankings between 2010 and 2015 was achieved by the United Kingdom, which rose from tenth to fourth position globally.