Seven countries are getting the biggest bang for their buck in economic and digital innovation, according to a new survey.
The seven are Finland, Switzerland, Sweden, Israel, Singapore, the Netherlands and the United States.
The Geneva-based World Economic Forum says in its latest Global Information Technology Report that trends suggest individuals, not business or government, are driving the digital revolution.
“Governments or businesses are not leveraging digital technology sufficiently,” said Margareta Drzeniek-Hanouz, who heads the forum’s global competitiveness research. Developing nations could benefit by providing affordable access to technology, she said, noting how some are exploring new business models to “leapfrog” the internet into mobile telephone payment systems, for example.
WEF Global Information Technology Report 2016 : 7 Countries Benefit Most From #Technology #Innovation pic.twitter.com/bN5AMTRsPF
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Singapore topped the list in its “Network Readiness Index,” a gauge of countries’ preparedness to tap into the benefits of emerging technologies. The United States and Japan joined seven European countries rounding out the top 10.
In that ranking, Russia remained 41st and China rose three places to 59th. South Africa jumped 10 spots to 65th.
Authors of the 289-page report also hail from France’s INSEAD business school, Cornell University and U.S.-based technology company Cisco Systems.
