United States, Singapore and Finland retain top three spots in 2024 Network Readiness Index

For the third consecutive year, the United States leads the world in its access to, and use of, information and communications technology (ICT), the 2024 Network Readiness Index (NRI) published by Portulans Institute and Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford has shown.

Singapore has once again claimed the second spot, with Finland keeping hold of third place. Movers in the top ten include Sweden, up to fourth, South Korea rising to fifth, and the United Kingdom moving up to eighth place. Meanwhile, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany, and Denmark round off the leader board. 

The NRI is one of the leading global indices on the application and impact of ICT in economies across the world. In this latest version, ‘Building a Digital Tomorrow: Public-Private Investments and Global Collaboration for Digital Readiness, the NRI Report maps the network readiness landscape of 133 economies on their performances across four pillars: Technology, People, Governance, and Impact, with each pillar comprised of three sub-pillars, and a further 54 variables.    

The NRI 2024 reveals a complex global digital landscape where significant disparities exist between regions and development levels. The United States leads with exceptional performance across technology adoption and innovation metrics, particularly excelling in areas like AI scientific publications, VC deals in AI, and digital business transformation. 

Regarding regional representation, Singapore and Korea are the only countries from Asia and the Pacific that appear in the top 10, while the United States is the sole representative from the Americas. The remaining top 10 positions underscore Europe’s dominance in global network readiness. 

Notably, the small Island nation of the Seychelles has debuted in this year’s ranking, impressively placing second globally in Mobile App Development, though this result reflects both its strengths and the impact of GDP PPP scaling in smaller economies., the UAE comes first in the world for the price of its mobile handsets. New entries this year include Sierra Leone, Yemen and Trinidad and Tobago. 

Professor Soumitra Dutta, Co-founder and President of Portulans Institute, Co-editor of the NRI, and Dean of Saïd Business School, University of Oxford said:

‘As digital transformation accelerates, the NRI 2024 highlights the essential role of public-private partnerships in building the foundations for digital readiness. By working together, governments, businesses, and civil society can create robust frameworks of governance, stability, and trust that enable technology to reach its full potential in enhancing social and economic well-being. The findings emphasize the interdependence of policy, innovation, and societal impact, helping to chart a path towards a resilient digital ecosystem.’

The 2024 NRI rankings have seen Eswatini, Gambia, Guinea, Lebanon, and Tajikistan fall from the list. Year-to-year comparisons of NRI rankings can be influenced by data availability and updates in the NRI model framework.

The top performers in NRI 2024 underscore that advanced economies across Europe, the Americas, Asia, and the Pacific continue to excel in network readiness. Specifically, among the top 25 countries, Europe is represented by seventeen nations – predominantly the Western and Scandinavian regions. East and Southeast Asia contribute four economies – Singapore, South Korea, China, and Japan. Oceania is represented by Australia and New Zealand, and North America includes both Canada and the United States.

Middle- and low-income economies, notably China, Ukraine, Vietnam, and Kenya, have significantly outperformed expectations in digital readiness, achieving scores that exceed their GDP per capita trendlines by at least 10%. Africa and Asia & Pacific lead regionally, with countries like Rwanda, Brazil, and Kyrgyzstan also displaying a notable performance. The lower middle-income group shows the largest concentration of high performers, highlighting its prominent role in this ongoing digital evolution.

China notably moves up in the rankings, securing the 17^th spot and remaining the only middle-income economy in the NRI’s top 20 due to its formidable technological prowess.

In terms of income distribution within the 2024 rankings, 52 countries are high-income economies, 36 are upper-middle-income economies, 32 are lower-middle-income economies, and 13 are low-income economies.

The top performers in the NRI consistently display three significant trends: they are primarily high-income nations, they exhibit strong network readiness across all dimensions and are in the Western or Scandinavian parts of Europe, albeit few exceptions like Singapore, the Republic of Korea, and the United States of America – that leads this year global table for the third consecutive year.

Reflecting on this year’s NRI, Bruno Lanvin, co-editor of NRI, said:

‘Data is not the new oil. It is the new air. In all parts of the world, both the private and public sector strive to be ready for a global digital economy that is neither fully charted nor properly governed yet. In such a fluid context, tools like the Network Readiness Index, which provide definitive metrics, will be a necessary condition to make the right decisions.’

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a Knowledge Partner for the NRI and has provided research showing how the successful adoption of cloud technology is a key marker for digital readiness and has a positive impact on innovation and the economy at large.

Jeffrey B. Kratz, Vice President, Worldwide Public Sector Industry Sales, AWS said:

‘At AWS, we’ve witnessed first-hand the transformative power of partnerships between the public and private sector, and building a digital tomorrow requires not just technological advancements, but also a shared vision and commitment to global collaboration” said Jeff Kratz, Vice President of Worldwide Public Sector Industry Sales at AWS. “By continuing to invest in these partnerships and fostering a global ecosystem of innovation, we can ensure that the benefits of digital transformation are realised by all, creating a more connected, efficient, and equitable world.’

Ricardo Alban, President of Knowledge Partner Brazilian National Confederation of Industry adds:

‘As the Brazilian Industry System, we recognize digital readiness as a strategic imperative. We actively engage in public-private partnerships, such as the Brasil Mais Produtivo program, implemented by SENAI and the Brazilian government. This programme assesses companies’ digital readiness and provides financial support for the adoption and development of digital technologies. Such initiatives could be benchmarked for global implementation with support from developed countries and international organisations.’

NRI 2024 – Top 10

The Network Readiness Index

Origins of the NRI: Initially launched in 2002 by the World Economic Forum, the NRI has been redesigned in 2019 by its founders and co-editors, Soumitra Dutta and Bruno Lanvin, to reflect how technology and people need to be integrated within an effective governance structure in order to have the right impact on our economy, society and the environment. This 2024 edition marks the sixth edition of the redesigned model of the NRI.

The NRI model recognises the pervasiveness of digital technologies in today’s networked world and therefore rests on four fundamental dimensions: Technology, People, Governance, and Impact. This holistic approach means that the NRI covers issues ranging from future technologies such as AI and Internet of Things (IoT) to the role of digital transformation in reaching the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

About the NRI: The 2024 NRI is the sixth edition of a renewed NRI model, and it ranks a total of 133 economies based on their performance across 54 variables. 

The 2024 edition of the NRI is published in partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS) and the Brazilian National Confederation of Industry (CNI)

About Portulans Institute (PI): Founded in 2019 by Soumitra Dutta and Bruno Lanvin, Portulans Institute is an independent nonprofit, nonpartisan research and educational institute based in Washington DC. PI’s areas of expertise include technology competitiveness, innovation readiness, and global talent.  

Learn more at https://portulansinstitute.org/.

About Saïd Business School: Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford is a vibrant and innovative business school, embedded within a 900-year-old world leading university. We create programmes and ideas that have global impact and reach. We educate leaders, changemakers and innovators across every industry and sector. Our groundbreaking research and exceptional teaching transforms individuals, who transform businesses, which transforms the world. We create ïmpact from within. www.sbs.ox.ac.uk  

Contacts for Press: Portulans Institute: [email protected]. For further information, including interview requests, please contact [email protected], media manager at Saïd Business School.