The Internet is a tool of unprecedented power, but if the ability to benefit from its use is unevenly distributed, it could serve to deepen inequality.
 

 The Inclusive Internet Index, commissioned by Meta and developed by Economist Impact, seeks to measure the extent to which the Internet is not only accessible and affordable, but also relevant to all, allowing usage that enables positive social and economic outcomes at the individual and group level.
 

 Now in its sixth year, the index assesses the performance of 100 countries in four categories of inclusion: Accessibility, Affordability, Relevance and Readiness. Each category incorporates key indicators of Internet inclusion, including quantitative measures such as network coverage and pricing, and qualitative measures such as the presence of e-inclusion policies and the availability of local-language content.
 

 To read the key findings from the 2022 index, read our <a href="downloads/3i-executive-summary.pdf">executive summary</a>. 
 

 The interactive index allows you to explore the index findings, revealing how countries compare.
 

 For a deeper dive into the index findings, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="downloads/3i-index-data-2022.xlsm">download the Excel workbook</a>.


 Value of the Internet Survey
 

 For a fifth year, the Index is accompanied by a Value of the Internet Survey, which assesses the contribution that the Internet makes to the lives of 4,910 respondents in 98 countries. It explores how Internet use impacts people's financial management, work, social life, entertainment and shopping habits, and their sense of independence and autonomy. Highlights from the survey can be found in the <a href="downloads/3i-executive-summary.pdf">executive summary</a>, and the global survey results can be <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="downloads/3i-survey-data-2022.csv">downloaded here</a>.


 The aim of the Inclusive Internet Index is to provide researchers and policymakers with the information they need to enable users to benefit from the Internet, irrespective of their age, gender, location or background. If you have any comments or queries, please get in touch <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.eiu.com/public/contact.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">here</a>.

Minor changes were made to the Inclusive Internet Index methodology this year. The 100 economies selected for the Index represent approximately 99% of the world population and 97% of global GDP. Three new indicators were added this year. Some features previously introduced in the second, third, fourth and fifth iterations of the index were maintained in the latest iteration. This includes the “Value of the Internet” survey—which this year focuses on the relationship between the Internet and the covid-19 pandemic .

Economist Impact drew on the expertise of highly respected experts in the field of connectivity and inclusion to provide input on the methodology, data sources and modeling options for the Index. The expert panel was convened in 2016 and has interacted thereafter as necessary.

For any queries or to learn more about the research behind the Inclusive Internet Index, please contact Economist Impact.

Project managers:

Michael Paterra
<a href="mailto:michaelpaterra@economist.com">michaelpaterra@economist.com</a>


Shreya Mukarji
<a href="mailto:shreyamukarji@economist.com">shreyamukarji@economist.com</a>

Singapore ranks 1st in the index and it retains its first place in Availability category.  It has also experienced exceptional improvement in the Affordability category where it ranks 2nd from last year's 27th position.

South Korea did exceptionally well in the overall index, where it ranked 2nd. The most significant improvement was seen in the relevance category where it ranked 11th from last year's 59th position. In the Local content and Relevant content, it moved upwards from 74th and 33rd position last year to 16th position this year.

The United States stands 3rd in the index after holding the 2nd position last year. In the Affordability pillar, the United States plunged from 5th place last year to the 10th place this year. Within Readiness category, the trust and safety indicators dropped to rank 49 from the 5th place last year. However, in Policy the country moved up from the 54th place to rank 15th this year.

France stands 4th in the index. It improved its positions in all the categories except Affordability. Comparatively it still lags in Readiness category as it is positioned at 29th place. Within Affordability, France improved in Infrastructure where it lies in 11th position after 31st position last year.

The United Kingdom showed significant improvement in its position and ranks 5th in the index. It topped the affordability indicator after being second last year. The improvement its overall ranking can also be attributed to Readiness category where it ranked 8th after being 24th last year. 

New Zealand gained a place to rank 5th this year. Compared to Y5, it ranked higher all categories except Readiness this year. Within Readiness, the deepest plunge is observed in Literacy which fell from 5th position last year to 77th position this year.

Spain shifted down from the 2nd to the 7th place this year. This could be attributed to Spain's rank drops in the Availability and Readiness categories. Notably, In Infrastructure, Spain declined from the 20th position and ranks 36th. From rank 19 last year, Spain rose to the 9th place in the Relevance pillar.

Netherlands performed exceptionally well in Availability (3rd) and Readiness (5th) category. It also witnessed improvement in the Affordability category at 26th position from last year's 32nd. It performed poorly in the Relevance indicator where it stands at 56th position.

Taiwan's 9th place overall ranking, a particularly noteworthy jump from last year's rank (24th), is driven by significant improvements in Affordability. Within Affordability, improved performance is due to lowered costs of smartphones and mobile phones (postpaid tariff), and an increase in broadband operators' market share. By contrast, Taiwan experienced rank drops in Availability and Readiness.

Switzerland is the at 10th position, an improvement from last year's 20th. It performs tremendously in the Availability category where it ranks 4th. In the sub category indicators of usage and quality it ranks 2nd and 5th.

Sweden lost its top position from last year and ranks 11th overall. While, it lost ranks in all the categories, the steepest drop of 34 positions was seen in Relevance category, where the country takes the 45th place this year. Notably, Local content declined from the 19th place last year to the 45th place this year.

This year, Canada drifted down 6 places to the 12 position in the index. Notably, within the Affordability category, Canada's Competitive environment deteriorated from rank 1 to 32 this year. The country's rank in Relevant content in the Relevance pillar also declined from 35th place last year to 47th place this year.

Overall, Australia declined from 4th position last year to 13th position this year. This could be attributed to Australia's rank drops in Relevance and Readiness categories. Relevant content saw the highest decline from 13th position last year to 50th position this year.

Germany ranks 14th overall globally, having moved up from 25th place last year, and features in the top quartiles in Availability (11th), Affordability (19th) and Readiness (19th). However, Relevance remains a particular weakness, where the country sits in the middle, globally (44th).

Lithuania gains in the Availability category where it ranks at 9th position, especially in Infrastructure indicator where it ranks 4th. It saw improvement in Affordability and Readiness pillars where it ranks 24th and 41st up from last year's 28th and 45th positions respectively.

Poland drifted down to 16th position from last year's 12th place.The decline can be seen in all categories except Availability. The highest decline can be witnessed in Readiness category (particularly in Policy indicator) where it currently ranks at 43rd from last year's 15th place. Poland also lost it's top position in Relevance and currently is at 14th.rank.

Chile saw an improvement of its position in index where it ranks 16th this year over last year's 21st. It gained a position in the Readiness category, where it ranks 4th this year. It also experienced improvement in the Affordability category, especially in the competitive environment indicator where it ranks 4th.

Greece ranks 18th overall globally, which demonstrates significant improvement since last year (38th). The improved ranking can be attributed to year-on-year progress across all four domains, with the improvement in Relevance being the most noteworthy, where Greece currently ranks 2nd globally. However, despite the progress, Readiness (48th) remains an area of weakness, particularly due to the country's declining trust in online privacy.

Denmark declined from its top 10 position last year and fell to 19th position this year. The highest decline was witnessed in Relevance indicator where it fell from 6th place last year to 54th place this year. In the local content indicator it fell from 1st rank to 45th, and in the relevant content indicator it fell from 7th last year to 42nd.

Italy is tied at 20th position, a decline from last year's 14th position. It gained in Availability and Readiness categories and declined in Affordability and majorly in Relevance. The relevant content indicator saw the biggest fall from 18th position last year to 55th this year.

Japan is at 20th position from last year's 14th. It declined in Affordability and  Readiness category. In the Readiness category it ranked 9th last year and it saw a steep fall to 30th this year. It has retained its 17th position in Availability category.

China's ranks 22nd overall globally, up from its 39th place last year, primarily driven by rank gains in competitive environment and price-related indicators. On the other hand, the country regressed considerably on Readiness, dropping from 26th place to rank 41st this year, owing to a significant decline in online trust and safety.

Brazil ranks 2nd overall among the 16 countries in Latin America, and has moved up from its 36th place last year to rank 23rd globally. The country is the global leader in Relevance, driven by a strong performance in terms of making local and relevant content readily available online. In contrast, there remains considerable scope for improvement on Readiness, particularly vis-à-vis the indicators measuring digital literacy and the policy environment.

Belgium stands at 24th position from last year's 21st. This is due to its steep decline in the Relevance category, where it ranks 64th. It especially performs poorly in the Local content where it stood 1st last year but ranks 45th this year. 

Estonia ranks 25th overall globally, driven by strong performances in Availability and Affordability. The country could have fared even better had it not been for the significant drop in Relevance, where it slipped 37 places to rank 39th this year. Within Relevance, a particularly weak spot is the low concentration of websites using country-level domains.

The UAE is tied for the 25th place globally, and ranks 1st among the 12 countries in the Middle East and North Africa region. Ranking 5th globally in Availability, it has strong levels of quality and usage. However, the country scores lower than the global average in Competitive environment within the Affordability category and Policy in the Readiness pillar. 

Qatar ranks 2nd amongst the 12 countries in the Middle East and North Africa, where it features in the top two on Availability and Readiness. Despite ranking 3rd on Affordability regionally, the domain remains a weakness for the country when looking at global Affordability rankings, where Qatar stands at the 47th spot.

Portugal ranks within the top quartile in Affordability (20th) and Readiness (25th), globally. However, the country misses the top quartile overall, ranking 28th, due to a particularly weak performance in Relevance, where it sits in the middle (52nd). The low performance on Relevance is owing to a lack of relevant, local content online.

Bulgaria ranks 28th overall globally, faring the best in Availability (25th), compared to the other three domains where it is ranked similarly: Affordability (34th), Relevance (33rd), and Readiness (33rd). In particular, the lack of local content, declining trust in privacy, and high mobile phone and broadband costs remain areas of weakness.

Russia experienced a drop in it's rankings this year, as a result of steep declines in Relevance, where it ranks 25th globally. Russia's comparative strengths lie in Affordability where it ranks 4th, driven by a highly competitive environment for internet service provision.

Romania ranks 30th overall globally, demonstrating gains in Availability and Affordability since last year, where it features in the top quartiles. In contrast, Romania experienced a significant decline in Relevance, owing to deteriorations in the value of e-commerce. Additionally, the country fares the weakest on Readiness, ranking 60th globally.

Austria's 32nd overall rank is credited to its strong performance in Readiness, where it ranks 2nd globally, driven by high literacy rates and a strong policy environment, despite low scores on trust and safety metrics. By contrast, Astria struggles on Relevance, owing to a lack of readily available local and relevant content online.

Kuwait ranks 33rd overall globally, and emerges as the top performer on Affordability in the Middle East and North Africa. By contrast, Relevance and Readiness remain areas of weakness, owing to a lack of relevant content online, relatively low literacy rates and low levels of policy development.

Malaysia ranks 1st on Readiness globally, indicating that it is the most Internet-ready country among the 100 countries ranked in the index. In addition, the country shows strong performance in Relevance, ranking 5th on the pillar globally. However, Affordability (53rd) is a clear weakness for the country, driven by high costs of mobile phone and fixed-line broadband, and an insufficiently competitive digital environment.

Ireland fell from it's 23rd position last year to 34th this year. It performs exceptionally well in the Affordability category but has decline in Relevance category especially in the Relevant content indicator where it ranked 3rd last year and is at 37th this year.

Mexico ranks 36th overall globally, having moved up 10 places since last year. The country's year-on-year improvement in overall ranking can primarily be attributed to the significant jump in Readiness, from 48th place last year to 3rd this year, driven by notable gains in trust and safety, and a strengthened digital policy landscape. In contrast, Mexico's weakest performance is in Availability (52nd), due to low scores on usage and quality.

While Argentina ranks 4th among the 16 Latin American countries, it ranks 37th globally. Availability (40th) is a particular weakness for the country, driven by weak performances on usage, quality and electricity. On the other hand, Relevance (18th) tracks a relatively strong performance, due to high scores on metrics measuring the availability of local digital content.

In terms overall internet inclusivity, Oman ranks 38th this year. In the Readiness category, Oman leads Middle East and North Africa and stands 10th globally. The country's strong performance in the Readiness pillar is owed to continued improvements in trust in government websites and apps and e-commerce safety.  Despite these gains, this year trust in information from social media has declined. 

Saudi Arabia comes in at the 39th place this year. In Relevance, the country ranks 2nd in the MENA region as more value is attributed to e-health this year compared to last year. Ranking 4th in the region on Availability, Saudi Arabia's growth in this category was driven by improvements in Quality of internet and unlicensed spectrum policy. The country experienced no improvement in Affordability, declining by 11.2 points in Competitive environment. 

Bahrain ranks 40th overall globally, showcasing an improvement of 5 places since last year. Its local and relevant content, digital literacy and trust and safety scores, significantly exceed global averages. However, the competitive digital environment has weakened year-on-year.

Thailand ranks 40th on the Index this year. Thailand has made significant year on year strides in Readiness and is the fourth most improved country globally in the category this year. This growth is driven by improvements in level of web accessibility, national female e-inclusion policies, and support for digital literacy. 

Peru is placed 42nd globally and ranks 5th among the 16 countries of Latin America this year. The country has experienced notable improvements in Availability and Readiness. In the Availability pillar, gains in unlicensed spectrum policy and 5G deployment lead Peru's growth. Increased government efforts to promote 5G and further advancement in the national female e-inclusion policies drive the improvement in Readiness, where the country ranks 6th globally. 

Ranking 43rd globally, Turkey is placed second to last regionally in Europe. Notably, in Availability and Affordability, the country sits at the bottom regionally. However, Turkey is the 5th most internet ready among the 22 countries of Europe, owing to increasing trust in government websites and apps. Relevance has also improved this year driven by gains in e-Entertainment usage and value attributed to e-health and e-finance. 

Hungary ranks last amongst the 22 countries in Europe overall, as well as in Readiness. Globally, while Availability (42nd) and Relevance (49th) also remain areas of weakness, the particularly low performance in Readiness (73rd) is due to the lack of a government e-inclusion strategy, as well as the lack of funding for broadband buildout and government initiatives to make Wi-Fi available in the country. In contrast, the country boasts of a strong performance in Affordability (21st). 

Iran ranks 45th on the index this year. Iran continues to advance in the Availability and Readiness pillars, driven by improvements in the level of web accessibility and government efforts to promote 5G. However, the country has also experienced further decline in Affordability and Relevance due to score drops in Competitiveness and Relevant content. 

Vietnam is tied at 46th place globally and ranks 11th among the 22 countries of Asia this year. Across all pillars, the country improved most significantly in the Relevance pillar driven by gains in open data policies and value of e-finance. While the country experienced a slight improvement in Readiness, support for digital literacy and government e-inclusion strategy notably declined. 

Indonesia ranks 46th globally and 11th among the 22 countries of Asia. Experiencing a notable year-on-year improvement in the Readiness pillar, Indonesia ranks 4th regionally. This growth in driven by increasing government efforts to promote 5G and level of web accessibility. Although the country has improved slightly in Affordability, it is placed second to last in the pillar in Asia due to increasing score decline in Price.

Despite featuring in the top tertile in Affordability (32nd) and Relevance (31st), Colombia ranks 48th overall, globally. Similar to its overall rank, the country sits in the middle on Availability (52nd) and Readiness (45th), due to low levels of usage, quality, electricity and literacy.

Ranked 49th globally, South Africa continues to be the the most inclusive country in Sub-Saharan Africa.  It leads the region in Availability and Readiness. Performance in Relevance has deteriorated year on year, owing to the decline in value attributed to e-finance and e-health. In Affordability, the country ranks 2nd in the region. 

India ranks 50th globally on the Index and 12th among the 22 countries of Asia. Increased trust in non-governmental websites and apps and social media has contributed to the country's year on year improvement in the Readiness category. Although, India has improved in the Availability pillar driven by narrowing gender gap in internet and mobile phone access, the country continues to perform below the global average for Usage. 

Kazakhstan is tied with Morocco, ranking 51st globally and is placed 13th among the 22 countries of Asia. Across the four pillars of the index, the country experienced the most notable improvement in Relevance led by growth in value attributed to e-finance, e-health, and e-ecommerce. Kazakhstan declined on the Readiness pillar to due to a significant score drop in government e-inclusion strategy. 

While Morocco is tied with Kazakhstan ranking 51st globally, it's tied for 5th place globally on Relevance. Within MENA, the country ranks first in this category, owing to improvements in Local content, open data policies, and e-health content. Although the country experienced a net year on year growth in Readiness, gains in national female e-inclusion policies and trust in online privacy are counterbalanced by decline in technology-neutrality policy for spectrum use. 

The Philippines is placed 53rd globally and 14th among the 22 countries of Asia. The country has improved in the Relevance pillar led by gains in e-entertainment usage and value of e-finance and e-commerce. The Philippines experienced a slight decline Affordability, driven by increasing postpaid tariff and fixed-line monthly broadband cost. Although availability has improved slightly from last year, the gender gap in internet and mobile phone access has widened. 

Panama is placed 54th across all countries and 7th in Latin America this year. The country experienced year on year improvement in the Readiness category led by increased e-commerce safety and trust in online privacy. Affordability declined slightly in the region due to increasing wireless operators' market share, fixed-line monthly broadband cost, and postpaid tariff. 

The Dominican Republic ranks 55th out of 100 countries in the Index, pushed up by its strong performance in Readiness, where it ranks 39th globally. The country however has witnessed deteriorations in trust & safety, a result of lower trust in government websites and apps as well as trust in online privacy. 

Placed 56th globally, Paraguay ranks 9th among the 16 countries of Latin America this year. In the Relevance and Readiness pillars, Paraguay's score plummeted notably, driven by a year on year decline in e-entertainment usage, privacy regulations, and level of web accessibility. However, Paraguay improved in the Availability pillar, led by gains in private sector initiatives to make Wifi available and internet users. 

Egypt features in the bottom half of the index, ranking 57th globally. While the country sits in the middle on Availability (49th) and Readiness (47th), weak performances in Affordability (67th) and Relevance (66th) speak to the country's low overall ranking. High mobile phone and fixed-line broadband costs, and the lack of a competitive digital environment and relevant local content, remain key weaknesses for the country.

Kenya is placed 58th globally and second among the 26 countries of Sub-Saharan Africa. Despite experiencing an year on year decline in Relevance, due to drops in the value of e-health and e-commerce, the country ranks first in this pillar in the region. Kenya is placed 3rd in Readiness regionally, owing to increasing government efforts to promote 5G and trust in online privacy. The country also ranks second in Availability in Sub-Saharan Africa. 

Sri Lanka's overall performance (ranked 59th globally) is constrained by its relatively weak scores in Readiness, where it ranks 81st out of 100 countries in the Index. Despite large improvements in trust & safety pushing Sri Lanka up to rank 34, the country's performance remains weak when assessing the policy environment and literacy metrics. 

Jordan ranks 60th globally and 9th among the 12 countries of MENA. In the Readiness category, Jordan is placed second to last in the region driven by notable year on year score decline in trust in government and non-government websites and apps. The country has also experienced a decrease in its Relevance score, owing to drop in value attributed to E-health and e-entertainment usage. 

Uzbekistan ranks below most Asian countries in the Index and below the other countries in Central Asia. The country's overall score is pulled down by its weak performance in Affordability, a result of low scores on both price and competitive environment; Uzbekistan ranks 85th out of 100 countries in both sub-categories. Readiness however witnessed an improvement, driven by rising trust & safety in a variety of internet services.

Mongolia ranks 62nd globally and fifth to last among the 22 countries of Asia. The country has experienced slight net year on year improvements in the Relevance and Readiness pillars. However notable gains in value attributed to e-finance and e-commerce and the level of web accessibility are counterbalanced by declines in government e-inclusions strategy and the value of e-health. 

Trinidad and Tobago takes the 63rd place on the index globally and the 10th place across the 16 countries of Latin America. In the Availability pillar, the country ranks second in the region owing to notable year on year growth in 5G deployment and internet users. However, in the Relevance category, takes the last place in Latin America. This is due to significant decline in availability of e-Government services in the local language, e-entertainment usage, and value of e-health. 

Nigeria maintains its 3rd spot among the 26 Sub-Saharan African countries in the Index, and features in the top 3 countries in Affordability, Relevance and Readiness, regionally. However, despite a strong performance regionally, the country ranks 64th globally, as Availability (81st) remains a particular weakness.

Bangladesh occupies a spot amongst the lowest third of Asian countries included in the Index across all categories. Despite improvements in Readiness compared to last year, resulting partially from increases in trust, Bangladesh continues to struggle with low literacy and ranks next to last above only Pakistan in the region. 

Tunisia is placed 66th globally and third to last among the 12 countries of MENA. Despite improving year on year in Relevance driven by gains in e-entertainment usage and value attributed to e-finance and e-health, the country ranks last regionally in this pillar. The country ranks second in region in Affordability, where slight decline in Price is counterbalanced by gains in Competitiveness. 

Jamaica’s weaknesses are readily apparent in Affordability and Relevance, where it ranks in the bottom quartile of the Index countries. Despite improvements in the availability of local content, Jamaica ranks 86th out of 100 countries in Relevance and next to last relative to the other Latin American countries in the Index. 

Despite a global rank of 68 out of 100 countries in the Index, Guatemala is one of the weakest performers in Readiness (ranked 94th globally) resulting from low levels of trust and a weak policy environment. The country's weak scores in Readiness are partially offset by a stronger performance in Relevance, where Guatemala is tied for 45th globally, driven largely by improvements to availability of local content. 

Myanmar compares unfavorably to most of its Asian neighbors in ensuring citizens’ inclusive access to the Internet. Despite a low score when compared to other countries in the Index, the country has made significant improvements in Readiness (ranked 32nd out of 100 countries). Notably, Myanmar ranks 2nd globally in Trust & Safety, driven by growing trust in non-government websites and apps, information from social media and online privacy.

Venezuela ranks 70th out of 100 countries in the Index and below most countries in Latin America. The country ranks 98th globally in Readiness, a result of weak policies and low trust particularly in online privacy, social media, and non-government websites and apps. 

Tied for 71st globally, El Salvador ranks 14th among the 16 Latin American countries included in the Index this year. Primarily, El Salvador's relative strengths lie in Affordability (50th), owing to a fairly competitive digital environment. In contrast, the country struggles with low levels of policy development, and weakening performance on trust and safety metrics.

Algeria ranks next to last overall compared to the other Middle East and North African countries included in the Index and is tied for 71st place overall. Despite improvements in trust and relevance over the past year, the country faces an array of challenges in Availability and Affordability, notably in the case of quality, infrastructure and price. 

Ghana ranks 73rd globally with its strongest performance in Affordability, where it ranks 57th out of 100 countries in the Index. Compared to the other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, Ghana ranks 4th out of 26 countries, driven by a relatively strong performance in Availability and Affordability where it ranks in the top five positions. This can be partially attributed to improving internet speeds and an increase in the number of users. 

Lebanon's overall performance is constrained by low scores in Readiness, where the country ranks 97th out of 100 countries in the Index. Lebanon's weakness continues to be its policy environment alongside low levels of literacy - Lebanon ranks 99th out of 100 countries in the policy sub-category and 92nd out of 100 countries in the literacy sub-category. 

With an overall rank of 75th out of 100 countries, Cambodia ranks in the bottom quartile of the Index and is one of the weakest performing Asian countries in the Index overall. The country ranks in the bottom three positions consistently across all categories when compared to other countries in Asia, a result of lower value attributions to online services like e-health and e-finance as well as lower trust in online websites and applications.  

Gabon ranks 5th amongst the 26 Sub-Saharan African countries and 76th overall. After regressing in Readiness last year, it's seen a strong improvement this year due to a number of policy improvements, including female e-inclusion, government e-inclusion and the rollout of a national broadband strategy and associated funding for broadband buildout. 

Honduras ranks 15th out of the 16 countries in Latin America overall and in the Availability and Affordability categories as well. Relatively weak usage compared to other countries in the region, coupled with low levels of digital infrastructure, remain areas of weakness for the country.

Côte d'Ivoire ranks 6th amongst 26 Sub-Saharan African countries and 78th overall. This year, Côte d'Ivoire saw improvements across all four index categories, moving five places up in Readiness due to large improvements in trust in online privacy and trust in government websites and apps. 

Despite a rank of 79 globally, Pakistan ranks last out of 22 countries in Asia. The country's overall score is brought down by low scores in both Availability and Relevance - Pakistan ranks last in Asia for both categories. With an overall rank of 63, however, Pakistan's strongest performance is in Affordability, driven largely by improvements to its competitive environment through broadband operators' market share. 

Uganda ranks 7th out of 26 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and 80th globally. Regionally, the country's performance is strongest in Relevance and Readiness - Uganda ranks 4th out of 26 countries in both categories. Availability however remains a weak point driven largely by low scores on usage and quality. 

Botswana ranks 8th amongst 26 Sub-Saharan African countries this year. Lack of relevant and local content remains a hindrance for the country. Botswana's strongest performance is in Affordability, where it ranks 3rd out of 26 countries in the region, driven largely by favorable pricing - Botswana ranks 1st out of 26 countries in the region on price. 

Zambia ranks 9th out of the 26 Sub-Saharan African countries this year, and ranks 82nd globally. The country improved in Availability and Affordability this year, while seeing a decline in scores on Relevance and Readiness. An expansion of 2G, 3G and 4G network coverage alongside the introduction of efforts to deploy and promote 5G is driving a big increase in Availability this year. 

Cuba ranks last amongst 16 Latin American countries and is tied for 83rd globally. The country also ranks last in both Availability and Affordability, relative to other countries in the region. Quality remains a particular concern this year, as Cuba ranks 99th out of 100 countries in the Index, a partial result of deteriorations to mobile latency as well as mobile and broadband speeds. 

Rwanda ranks 2nd amongst low-income countries, leading the group in Availability. Declining trust in online privacy and non-government websites and apps contributed to a declining Readiness score this year,  moving Rwanda out of the top place for Readiness among low income countries. Improvements in the value of e-finance and e-entertainment usage are positive trends this year. 

Ranked 11th amongst 26 Sub-Saharan African countries, Senegal saw a slight improvement in its performance this year. Availability improved, driven by expansion of 3G and 4G coverage, but Relevance and Readiness both declined. Deficiencies in internet quality, infrastructure and availability of local and relevant content continue to constrain internet inclusion in the country. Still, Senegal scores above average the global average on Trust & Safety. 

Zimbabwe ranks 86th globally and 12th out of 26 Sub-Saharan African countries. Notable advances this year relate to support for digital literacy as well as efforts to deploy and promote 5G in the country. Relevance is the only category where Zimbabwe's score declined this year, driven in part by decline in relevant local content. 

Tanzania ranks 87th overall and 13th amongst 26 Sub-Saharan African countries. While it ranks in the top third of Sub Saharan African countries on Affordability and Readiness, it ranks in the bottom third on Availability, lagging its peers. Inadequate network coverage and low levels of digital infrastructure continue to be the primary constraints to Internet inclusion, although the number of internet users did increase this year. 

Cameroon is tied for 88th place overall and is tied for 14th among 26 Sub-Saharan African countries. It performs best on Affordability, where it ranks 56th overall and 4th in Sub-Saharan Africa. Relatively poor internet infrastructure and a lack of trust & safety are among the indicators constraining Internet inclusion for the country.

Namibia is tied for 88th place overall and is tied for 14th among 26 Sub-Saharan African countries. It's biggest improvement this year is in Relevance, driven by improvement in the value of e-finance and e-health alongside higher e-health and e-entertainment usage, while the already weak Readiness pillar deteriorated year on year, partially due to declining trust in government websites and apps and social media.

Sudan ranks 16th among 26 Sub-Saharan African countries and 90th overall this year. It ranks among the top five regionally in the Relevance pillar, but continued weak performance in digital infrastructure and Internet quality constrain Internet inclusivity.

Mali ranks 17th among 26 Sub-Saharan African countries and 91st overall this year. It ranks in the bottom 20 countries globally across all pillars, but has seen improvements in the Availability, Affordability and Relevance categories this year. Poor digital infrastructure and a lack of local relevant content are key constraints. 

Ethiopia ranks 18th among 26 Sub-Saharan African countries and 92nd overall this year. Ethiopia has seen progress across all four pillars of the index this year, most notably in Readiness, where its score increased due to government efforts to promote 5G and an improvement in the level of web accessibility, among other factors. 

Malawi ranks 19th among 26 Sub-Saharan African countries and 93rd overall this year. Malawi recorded improvements across all four index categories, most notably on Availability. Although it still ranks in the bottom 10%, government initiatives to make Wi-FI available, improvements in 3G and 4G network coverage, and an increase in usage all contributed to improvements in internet availability this year. 

Angola ranks 20th among 26 Sub-Saharan African countries and 94th overall this year. Angola saw score improvements in all four categories, most notably in Relevance, although it still ranks near the bottom globally. Poor digital infrastructure and insufficient local and relevant content continue to constrain internet inclusivity in the country. 

Madagascar ranks 21st among 26 Sub-Saharan African countries and 95th overall. Although ranking in the bottom 10% on Relevance, it's score increased notably due to improvements in local and relevant content, including the availability of e-government services in the local language. Weak digital infrastructure and a lack of sufficient policy continue to constrain internet inclusivity in the country. 

Benin ranks 22nd among 26 Sub-Saharan African countries and 96th overall this year. The country saw increases in its scores for Availability, Affordability and Relevance this year, but saw its Readiness core decline slightly due to a drop in trust, perceptions of e-commerce safety and a decline in the level of web accessibility. 

Mozambique ranks 23rd among 26 Sub-Saharan African countries and 97th overall this year. Mozambique saw modest improvements in all categories except Affordability, where it declined due to an increase in mobile phone postpaid tariffs along with a deterioration in the competitive environment, among other factors.

Burkina Faso ranks 24th among 26 Sub-Saharan African countries and 98th overall this year. It's score on Availability and Affordability improved this year, but it saw a drop in scores related to Relevance and Readiness.  Poor digital infrastructure, inadequate access to electricity and insufficient local and relevant content continue to constrain internet inclusivity in the country. 

As the second weakest country in the overall index, Liberia ranks near or at the bottom across Availability, Affordability and Readiness. It ranks 94th in Relevance, which saw a notable increase this year. Insufficient digital infrastructure, a lack of local content, low levels of literacy constrain internet inclusivity in the country.

Congo (DRC) ranks last overall and in Availability but has made small gains this year in both Availability and Affordability as both 2G and 4G coverage expanded this year. A lack of digital infrastructure, local and relevant content, and policy constain internet inclusivity in the country.

The Inclusive Internet Index has been updated for 2022, with revised rankings and scores. The 100 countries in this year's index represent 97% of global GDP and 99% of global population.

The overall Index score based on the scores of the Availability, Affordability, Relevance and Readiness categories.

The Availability category examines the quality and breadth of available infrastructure required for access and levels of Internet usage.

The Affordability category examines the cost of access relative to income and the level of competition in the Internet marketplace.

The Relevance category examines the existence and extent of local language content and relevant content.

The Readiness category examines the capacity to access the Internet, including skills, cultural acceptance, and supporting policy.

Five-year lookback: where have we made progress?

What does the digital divide look like in 2022?

What could countries do to improve Internet inclusivity?

Dig into the index data by exploring the Workbook.

What changes could impact internet inclusivity the most in your country?

Link to read the white paper executive summary

Usage measures the size of the connected population, in terms of Internet and mobile connectivity.

Quality measures the quality of experience the connected population receives while using the Internet.

Price measures the cost of Internet access relative to income.

Competitive environment measures the concentration of the marketplace for Internet service provision.

Local content measures the availability of Internet content in the local language(s).

Relevant content measures the availability of news, finance, health, entertainment and business information. While the definition of "relevant" can vary, these types of content are common. "e-Content" refers to electronic or mobile content.

Literacy measures the level of education and preparedness to use the Internet.

Trust & Safety measures Internet safety and cultural acceptance of the Internet.

The Inclusive Internet Index 2022: Methodology

Commissioned by Meta, the sixth iteration of the Inclusive Internet Index assesses and compares countries according to their enabling environment for adoption and productive use of the Internet. The Index outlines the current state of Internet inclusion across 100 countries, and aims to help policymakers and influencers gain a clearer understanding of the factors that contribute to wide and sustainable inclusion.

Minor changes were made to the methodology this year. The 100 economies selected for the Index represent approximately 99% of the world population and 97% of global GDP. Three new indicators were added this year. Some features previously introduced in the second, third, fourth and fifth iterations of the index were maintained in the latest iteration. This includes the “Value of the Internet” survey—which this year focuses on the relationship between the Internet and the covid-19 pandemic .

Economist Impact drew on the expertise of highly respected experts in the field of connectivity and inclusion to provide input on the methodology, data sources and modeling options for the Index. The expert panel was convened in 2016 and has interacted thereafter as necessary.

For any queries or to learn more about the research behind the Inclusive Internet Index, please contact Economist Impact.

Project director:

Michael Paterra
<a href="mailto:michaelpaterra@economist.com">michaelpaterra@economist.com</a>


Project manager:
Shreya Mukarji
<a href="mailto:shreyamukarji@economist.com">shreyamukarji@economist.com</a>

The Inclusive Internet Index 2022: Executive summary

The Inclusive Internet Index, commissioned by Meta and conducted by Economist Impact, returns for its sixth year. The index provides a rigorous benchmark of national-level internet inclusion in 100 countries across four categories: Availability, Affordability, Relevance and Readiness. This year’s index, which covers 99% of the world’s population, is published for a fifth year alongside the Value of the Internet Survey, which polled 4,910 respondents from 98 countries, to gauge perceptions on how Internet use affects people’s lives and livelihoods. This executive summary presents the index and survey highlights.

<h4>Key findings:</h4>
<ul><li>The pandemic has compelled people to use the Internet more and for a wider range of activities than ever before.</li>
<li>At the same time, the pandemic may have widened the divide between on- and offline populations. </li>
<li>Most countries saw gains in Internet inclusion, driven largely by improvements in Availability.</li>
<li>Deterioration in relevant content and online trust raises alarms, as the pandemic has made these factors more crucial than ever. </li>
<li>Gender parity is improving over the long term, but the gap is not closing fast enough in regions with the worst inequality. </li>
</ul>

The Inclusive Internet Index Five-year lookback report

Last year, we launched the fifth edition of the Inclusive Internet Index (3i), supported by Meta (previously, Facebook). Since its inception, the 3i has assessed countries on the ability of their citizens to enjoy the full benefits that the internet has to offer. Expanding internet inclusivity can feel like a never-ending marathon - for every household in a low-income country that comes online, a new invention or use case pushes the frontiers of connectivity in a way that basic infrastructure cannot begin to meet.

It is nevertheless crucial to take stock of the state of inclusivity now versus five years ago. It is only by understanding where we’ve been that we can chart the path toward a future in which every man, woman and child can leverage the internet’s countless advantages. Through comprehensive analysis of the data collected over the past five years, this report assesses the progress that countries have made and looks at the obstacles still preventing roughly half of the world’s population from using the internet.
 The key findings from five years of the 3i are as follows: 
 Successes should be celebrated and built upon. 
 The nature of the digital divide has changed from that of a ‘coverage gap’ to a ‘usage gap’. 
 The slowing pace of expansion of high-speed networks in low-income and lower-middle-income countries risks generating a vicious circle, further deepening economic and digital divides. 
 The failure to close the digital gender divide needs urgent attention.

Welcome to the Inclusive Internet Index Simulator 

Use this tool to simulate how a country's rank and score would improve (or worsen) if its performance in Availability, Affordability, Relevance and Readiness changed. The tool uses the same calculations and weightings as the index.

Choose a country to begin the simulation. 

Drag the sliders to simulate a higher or lower score for your selected country. 

The tool is for illustration purposes only. Simulated scores are not endorsements by Economist Impact or Meta.

Once you have selected a country, the simulator will allow you to see the impact changes could make on a country's overall score and rank in the Inclusive Internet Index.

Use the sliding tools within each area to simulate how changes could improve (or worsen) the country's rank and score. Indicator changes impact rank and score on a category level and overall. You can adjust multiple indicators across all the categories, click reset to start again.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           The simulator uses the same category weightings and calculations as the index. Indicators under Availability comprise 40% of a country's score, Affordability 30%, Relevance 20%, and Readiness 10%. To adjust weightings and dig into the data even more, you can download the full index workbook in Excel (recommended for desktop)