We’ve updated some information into our rankings algorithms at the Tau Institute (something we launched this year, focused on global ICT research, with offices in Illinois and Manila, Philippines). We’ve also added a few countries into the mix, now reaching a total of 99 countries surveyed.
As a result, we’ve adjusted the rankings slightly. Most interesting is the rise of Canada in the overall rankings, and the emergence of Uganda within our basic, raw measures. Two countries separated by many thousands of miles literally and figuratively, yet each has its own unique values in our rankings, depending on whether companeis and individuals are looking for sources, locations, or investments.
I’ve provided a description of how we derive our rankings in a previous article. We integrate several publicly available factors into our own algorithm. There is thus transparency in the data we input combined with a specialized weighting system that we believe reveals new insight into the statistics.
As I’ve written before, we can view the datas in more than one way.
The overall ranking integrates all of the technological, societal, and economic factors in our algorithm. This ranking shows what we believe are the most dynamic ICT environments—worldwide, by region, and by income tier.
The “raw” ranking integrates only the technological factors. We believe these to be the countries that have the most potential for dynamic change in the short to medium term. The raw index is also the place to locate diamonds in the rough.
Canada & Uganda
Canada outperforms the US because it has less income disparity, is perceived as less corrupt, has slightly higher Internet speeds with a slightly lower income, and higher levels of overall and broadband Internet access. In fact, Canada now ranks #13 in the world and #8 in its income tier. The US ranks #34 and #13, respectively.
It’s no secret the US needs to do more in developing its ICT infrastructure and in revitalizing its educational system and economy for the 21st century. Canada, with its vast resources and an immigration policy more friendly than that of the US, should perform well economically in the future if it also continues to be a leader in developing its ICT infrastructure.
Meanwhile, in Africa, Uganda has risen to the top of the raw rankings, something that surprised us a bit. The country remains among the world’s poorest, but is developing an ICT infrastructure relatively quickly given its income level. It is aided by a very low cost of living, something we’d expect to see rise as the country develops. I’ll have more to say later about this country and its East African neighbors—many of which also score well in the raw rankings.
As a reality check and benchmark, we’ve created a “Perfect Land” which has optimal statistics in all categories. The idea is that no country should beat Perfect Land in the overall index, although many countries will beat it in the raw index, which is weighted more toward potential than overall performance.
I’ve listed our current leaders in several categories in a separate article. Please send us a tweet if you’d like to know more.