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USA most tech enabled country, as UK falls from the top ten, according to new report

Published

The United States is leading the world when it comes to affordable and accessible technology, that makes life easier for its people and improves its economy.

The 2022 Network Readiness Index (NRI) Report report has seen the US knock the Netherlands off the top spot, with Singapore and Sweden coming in second and third place.

First launched with the World Economic Forum in 2002, and redesigned in 2019, the NRI is an in-depth analyses of 131 countries’ performance across four dimensions of digital readiness - technology, people, governance, and impact - using 58 different indicators. 

This year’s report, titled ‘Stepping into the new digital era: how and why digital natives will shape the world’, is published by the Portulans Institute and Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford. Highlights from the report include: 

  • The United Kingdom falls from the top 10 group for the first time since 2019, down to 12th, due in part to lower output in regulation and privacy protection
  • Ukraine, 50th, comes out top among its middle to low-income peers due to especially high adoption of technology and strong investment, improving the connectivity of its citizens
  • China - which entered the top 25 for the first time this year - and India are among the biggest movers, rising to 23rd and 61st, respectively, and showing a high concentration of AI talent and strong investment in technology
  • Like China, Malaysia (36th) is closing in on the top performers with clear technology legislation and exports, plus robust cybersecurity
  • Rwanda (101st) leads the low-income country category thanks to marked improvements in regulation and a legal framework for emerging technology.
     
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Soumitra Dutta, co-founder and President of Portulans Institute, Dean of Oxford Saïd and co-author of the report, said: 

'Gen-Z and millennials are digital natives who are pointing to the direction of our digital futures. The shape of business and society tomorrow is being influenced by digital technologies in ways that we are only starting to understand today. The NRI is a valuable tool that provides better metrics and insights into creating a safe, inclusive and trusted digital future for businesses and society.'

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Bruno Lanvin, co-founder and Director of Portulans Institute, co-author of the report, said:

'This edition of the NRI focuses on the role of younger generations in leading us into the information age. Recent trends indicate that future-readiness will largely rely on three major currencies: data, talent and learning. On all those fronts, we are only seeing the beginning of what tomorrow will bring. The future is still very young, and we all have a role to play in shaping it into the future we want.'

Key findings from the report include:

  • A Digital Tech “Dutch Disease” in the brewing? Consistently high-ranking economies like the Netherlands (first in 2021), Finland, Belgium, and the UK saw a drop in their 2022 rankings while maintaining their outputs at expected levels given their high degree of development
  • With Sweden, The Netherlands, and Denmark losing traction, Europe yields its digital readiness drive to Israel, the USA, and a group of Asia & Pacific economies led by China, Singapore, Japan, and the Republic of Korea. These economies stand out as the biggest movers among the top 25 most network-ready economies in 2022
  • Lower-middle and low-income economies appear to be bouncing back to performance levels of network readiness seen prior to the pandemic faster than high and upper-middle income group economies, as evidenced by digital transformation champions such as India, Kenya Philippines, Cote d'Ivoire and Ethiopia and Madagascar
  • The digital divide between economies at different levels of development appears to be shrinking, most noticeably between the group of upper middle and lower middle-income group economies
  • Many African economies are successfully creating opportunities to induce digital change at a faster pace than expected given their levels of development. Most of these economies perform above expectations in areas associated with government, technology, and people
     

Read the report.