The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) has published its fifth annual report on how ICT is developing around the world.
Headline findings
- By the end of 2013 40% of the world will be online – but 4.4 billion people will remain unconnected
- Mobile broadband is now more affordable than fixed broadband
- Broadband is getting fast
- Almost the whole world is within reach of mobile cellular services
- There is a direct link between being a high-income country and ICT progress
At the core of the report is the ITU’s ICT Development Index (IDI) which is used to rank 157 countries according to their level of ICT access, use and skills. The Index uses a combination of 11 indicators that measure the level of ICT development, its progress, digital divide and the potential of ICT to support growth and development.
Top ten countries
- Republic of Korea
- Sweden
- Iceland
- Denmark
- Finland
- Norway
- Netherland
- UK
- Luxembourg
- Hong Kong
Although there has been very little movement in the top ten over the last twelve months, a group of ‘most dynamic’ countries is identified which have achieved above average improvements in their IDI ranking. These countries include United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Belarus, Costa Rica, Mongolia, Zambia, Australia, Bangladesh and Oman.
The full report is available to download for free.