Denmark, Sweden and Switzerland lead the rankings in the Global Information Technology Report
Foro Económico Mundial - Miécoles 9 de abril (16:15 hrs.)

• Among the top ten, the Republic of Korea is number nine
• United States on the fourth position, post the most notable improvements

El Financiero en línea

Geneva, Switzerland, April 9th.- Denmark is the most networked economy in the world, followed by Sweden and Switzerland, according to The Global Information Technology Report 2007-2008, released today by the World Economic Forum. Among the top ten, the Republic of Korea (9) and, to a lesser extent, the United States (4) post the most notable improvements (moving up 10 and 3 positions, respectively).

"The successful experience of the Nordic countries, Singapore, the United States or Korea shows that a coherent government vision on the importance of ICT, coupled with an early focus on education and innovation, are key not only for spurring networked readiness, but also to lay the foundations for sustainable growth," said Irene Mia, Senior Economist of the Global Competitiveness Network at the World Economic Forum and Co-Editor of the Report.

Published for the seventh consecutive year with record coverage of 127 economies worldwide, the Report has become the world’s most comprehensive and authoritative international assessment of the impact of ICT on the development process and the competitiveness of nations.

Under the theme Fostering Innovation through Networked Readiness, this year’s Report places a particular focus on the role of networked readiness in spurring innovation through topics covered in the analytical chapters.

The Networked Readiness Index (NRI), featured in the Report, examines how prepared countries are to use ICT effectively on three dimensions: the general business, regulatory and infrastructure environment for ICT; the readiness of the three key stakeholder groups ? individuals, businesses and governments ? to use and benefit from ICT; and their actual usage of the latest information and communication technologies available.

The NRI uses a combination of data from publicly available sources, as well as the results of the Executive Opinion Survey, a comprehensive annual survey conducted by the World Economic Forum with its network of Partner Institutes (leading research institutes and business organizations) in the countries included in the Report. The Survey provides unique data on many qualitative institutional and business environment issues.

This cross-country analysis of the drivers of networked readiness provides useful comparative information for making business decisions and additional value to governments wishing to improve their ICT preparedness. (Con información de El Financiero en línea/WEF/GCE)