Bangladesh one notch up in global ICT index

Bangladesh has moved up in the global ICT development index by a notch placing 145th among 166 countries, according to a latest report published by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) yesterday.

In Measuring the Information Society (MIS) report, Denmark has ranked number one with 8.86 points in the global ICT Development Index (IDI) of 2014 followed by the Republic of Korea with 8.85 points, while Bangladesh's point is 1.97.

The IDI is a composite measurement that ranks countries according to their level of ICT access, use and skills.
Bangladesh's position in the previous year was 146th.

Among the neighbouring countries, Myanmar and Afghanistan with ranking of 150 and 155 are behind Bangladesh, while the positions of Pakistan, Nepal, India, Bhutan and Sri Lanka are better with a ranking of 142, 131, 129, 123, and 116 respectively, according to the index.

The IDI top 30-ranking include countries from Europe and high-income nations from other regions including Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Japan, Macao (China), New Zealand, Singapore and the United States.

The report is widely recognised as the repository of the world's most reliable and impartial global data and analysis on the state of global ICT development, and is extensively relied upon by governments, financial institutions and private sector analysts worldwide, reads a statement of the ITU.

Latest data show that internet use continues to grow steadily, at 6.6 percent globally in 2014 (3.3 percent in developed countries, 8.7percent in the developing world).

Regarding the ICT connectivity of households throughout the Asia-Pacific region, the report said around five percent of households in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Lao P.D.R., Myanmar, Nepal and Solomon Islands have internet access at home, whereas almost all households in the Republic of Korea (98 percent) enjoy this facility.

The top countries with the cheapest prepaid mobile-cellular plans are all from the developing world, particularly in Asia and the Pacific region, said the report.