Digital Quality of Life Index 2021

CONTEXT:

Recently, the cybersecurity company Surfshark based in the British Virgin Islands, conducted and released the 'Digital Quality of Life Index 2021'.

IMPORTANT POINTERS:

• They rank countries based on five fundamental digital well-being pillars ––

• Internet affordability
• Internet quality
• Electronic infrastructure
• Electronic security
• Electronic government.

Global Scenario

• Six out of 10 countries with the highest score in the DQL index are located in Europe.
• Denmark topped the index for the second year in a row, followed by South Korea and Finland, while the bottom five countries include Ethiopia, Cambodia, Cameroon, Guatemala, and Angola.
• The study also found that broadband is globally less affordable this year. Comparing countries included in both DQL 2020 and DQL 2021 rankings, the study noted that people have to work 11 per cent more (25 minutes more) to afford broadband internet in 2021 while they have to work 29 per cent less (28 minutes less) to get internet on their phones this year.
• The countries where the internet is least affordable are Nigeria, Côte D’Ivoire and Mali, where people are required to do approximately a week’s worth of work to afford the internet.

India's Position

• Overall, India ranked 59th among 110 countries, dropping two spots, on the index.
• India ranks 33rd on e-government and 47th on internet affordability, according to a global index on digital quality of life in 110 countries.
• While India has witnessed a drop compared to last year — falling from 57th spot to 59th — it now ranks 17th in Asia and first in the South Asia region. Its its e-security has also improved and it now ranks 36th (was 57th in 2020), higher than China which ranks 72nd.
• India has also outperformed Bangladesh on four digital well-being pillars — internet affordability, internet quality, electronic security, and e-government, but falls short on e-infrastructure, where it ranks 91st.
• According to the index, India ranks 67th on internet quality indicator.

• The index further noted that internet speed on mobile phones in India is one of the slowest in the world with 12.33 megabits per second and that the country ranks 95th on the number of individuals using the internet.

Sources

• The Indian Express
• Times now news
• SurfShark website