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KARACHI: Pakistan has been ranked 90th out of 120 countries on the inclusive internet index 2021 released by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) falling into the last quartile of the global index overall.
According to the Economist Intelligence Unit ‘Inclusive Internet Index report for 2021’, Pakistan’s ranking at “Inclusive Internet Index 2021” drop to 90th place among 120 countries, becoming the worst performers in South Asia. The report is made up of 120 countries representing 98 percent of global GDP and 96 percent of the world population.
Pakistan ranked highest in the Affordability pillar due to improvements in the competitive environment and a decrease in mobile phone costs.
The overall Index score based on the scores of the Availability, Affordability, Relevance and Readiness categories. Pakistan ranked 97th in the Availability pillar, 67th in the Affordability, and 91st in Relevance and 79th in Readiness.
Although, not all was depressing for Pakistan as it was among the countries that have made admirable progress in reducing the gender gap in Internet access.
As per the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) Pakistan has the highest gender gap in the world, at 65pc, posted a 6-percentage-point improvement in the past year. To ultimately bridge the divide, however, progress in such countries needs to be faster, the report added.
However, in countries such as high gender gaps in mobile access continue in spite of mobile data becoming more affordable, highlighted in the report. “This could be due to entrenched cultural factors that reduce gender equality more broadly,” read the report.
Sweden punched the United States and was able to retake the top position in the 2021 Index. Meanwhile, India was the top performer in South Asia at 49th place compared to its position at 52 in 2020, while Sri Lanka was placed at 77, Bangladesh at 82, and Nepal at 83 ranks in the index report 2021.
As per the report, a majority of countries in this year’s index—77 out of 120—saw improvements in Internet inclusion over the last iteration, including nine of the 15 low-income countries (LICs) included. The countries whose scores improved the most included both developed and developing countries, with improvements spread throughout the four index domains.
