Europe dominates this year’s global Network Readiness Index – but US is top

Europe dominates this year’s global Network Readiness Index, with 16 nations featuring in the top 25 ranking, as Finland surges into third place for the first time.

Sixteen out of the top 25 countries rated in the 2023 Network Readiness Index, published today, hail from Europe. Finland makes advances to feature in the top three globally (up four places due in part to improved performance across the Technology, Governance and Impact categories). 

Placing fourth and fifth globally are the Netherlands and Sweden. Completing the continent’s top ten spots are Switzerland (sixth, down from fifth), Denmark (eighth, down from sixth), Germany (ninth, down from eighth), and the United Kingdom (10th, up from 12th), which re-enters the top 10 partly due to its strength in the Technology and marked improvements in ICT adoption by individuals, businesses, and governments. Conversely, Norway has experienced a significant decline, now standing at 16th place, down from 10th in 2022.

Ukraine (47th) maintains its position as the top-performing lower middle-income economy and emerges as one of this year’s biggest movers, rising seven places. Closing in on its high-income regional peers, the nation continues to make notable progress in People category, now ranking 25th, but receives its lowest score in Technology, to reflect their geopolitical position of a country responding to an active war environment.

The NRI, published by Portulans Institute and Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, provides a robust framework for assessing the impact of Information Communication & Technology (ICT) on society and the development of nations. It evaluates 134 economies based on 58 indicators across four dimensions of digital readiness – technology, people, governance, and impact.

This year’s report, titled ‘Trust in a Network Society: A crisis of the digital age?’, draws attention to the potential for a serious crisis in public trust in the internet and related technologies in an increasingly interconnected world.

Says Soumitra Dutta, co-editor of the NRI and Peter Moores Dean at Saïd Business School:

“European nations continue to lead the rankings, demonstrating robust performances across all dimensions of network readiness. Finland, the Netherlands, and Sweden emerge as the region’s most network ready nations, with France and Norway also demonstrating solid digital infrastructures. Ukraine also continues to excel, underlining a commitment to digital innovation.

The top 10 performers in NRI 2023 underscore that advanced economies in Europe, primarily Northern and Western Europe are leading the way in terms of network readiness. Finland, a high-income economy is the global leader in the Governance pillar, with the Netherlands in second place in this category. Finland is placed second in the Impact measurement, followed closely by Ireland which maintains its global lead in the area of SDG Contribution..