Estonia Rises Again in WEF's IT Index
Estonia has edged ahead one place in the World Economic Forum's Information Technology rankings and is now 21st in the world.
The list - the Networked Readiness Index in the Global Information Technology Report - is led by Finland for a second straight year, with Singapore, Sweden, Netherlands and Norway rounding out the top five. Lithuania was 31st and Latvia finished 39th.
"The country has recognized the crucial role that ICTs have to play in the local economy and for social development," the report said, and Estonia is first overall in Central and Eastern Europe and "well ahead" of southern Europe. But it has work to do to become a "full-fledged knowledge-based society."
The report counseled Estonia to follow the Nordic example, as it has in the past, to take a step forward in transitioning to a knowledge-based society.
How did Finland "win"? It has the best digital ICT infrastructure in the world, the report said, and penetration to match - it was second in the usage and impact indices. It was third in the environment sub-index, with a very robust innovation system. Sweden also won praise for its infrastructure, being called "affordable" to boot, and is "a truly knowledge-based society."