Denmark Deemed Most "E-Ready"
Scandinavian countries are considered the most adept at incorporating the Internet into daily lives.
Scandinavian countries are considered the most adept at incorporating the Internet into daily lives.
Sweden lost its Web-savviest crown to Denmark, as the annual “e-readiness ranking” of 64 countries relegated the former leader to third place. Awarded the second place title in 2003, Denmark climbed up a notch when measured by the nearly 100 quantitative and qualitative criteria that IBM and the intelligence unit of The Economist established for the survey.
The report identified an apparent e-readiness trend in Scandinavia, as the region claimed four of the top five spots. The business, residential and government environments in the region have proved to be more adept at using the Internet than other earlier adopters, such as the U.S., Australia, and Canada. Scandinavians have successfully used the Internet to enhance business transactions, and incorporated the medium into their daily routines, while the government has driven development.
e-readiness rankings, 2004 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
2004 e-readiness ranking |
2003 ranking |
Country | 2004 e-readiness score (of 10)* |
2003 score |
1 | 2 | Denmark | 8.28 | 8.45 |
2 | 3 (tie) | UK | 8.27 | 8.43 |
3 | 1 | Sweden | 8.25 | 8.67 |
4 | 7 | Norway | 8.11 | 8.28 |
5 | 6 | Finland | 8.08 | 8.38 |
6 | 3 (tie) | U.S. | 8.04 | 8.43 |
7 | 12 | Singapore | 8.02 | 8.18 |
8 | 3 (tie) | Netherlands | 8.00 | 8.43 |
9 | 10 | Hong Kong | 7.97 | 8.20 |
10 | 8 | Switzerland | 7.96 | 8.26 |
* The tendency of 2004 scores to be lower than 2003 scores is mainly due to a change in our methodology to include broadband penetration, which is still very low in most countries. |
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Source: Economist Intelligence Unit |
According to the Computer Industry Almanac Inc., Denmark is among the leading countries in computer and Internet penetration, with expectations that the Internet user population will grow from 3.72 million in 2004 to 4.28 million in 2007. The Computer Industry Almanac Inc. estimates that, as of 2004, there are 682 surfers per 1,000 Denmark residents, compared to 649 in Australia; 641 in Canada; 611 in Japan; 570 in the UK; and 628 in the U.S.
Other noticeable trends on the e-readiness rankings:
IBM and the intelligence unit of The Economist defined e-readiness by measurement in six distinct categories: connectivity and technology infrastructure; business environment; consumer and business adoption; social and cultural environment; legal and policy environment; and supporting e-services.