India ranks 43rd in most networked economy list

India has been ranked 43rd most networked country in the world, moving up nine places against last year, as per the Global Information Technology Report 2009-2010.

The report, released by the World Economic Forum (WEF) and  business school INSEAD, ranks Sweden as numero uno networked country, followed by Singapore, Denmark, Switzerland, US and Finland. China has moved up 11 spots to the 37th position.

The Networked Readiness Index, featured in the report, examines how prepared countries are to use information and communication technologies (ICT) effectively on three dimensions. 

The report covers 133 economies worldwide, assessing the impact of ICT on the development process and the competitiveness of nations. 

"Sweden, Singapore and Denmark's superior capacity to leverage ICT as an enabler of sustainable, long-term economic growth is built on similar premises, relating with a long- standing focus placed by governments and private sectors alike on education, innovation and ICT access and diffusion," Irene Mia, Senior Economist of the Global Competitiveness Network at the WEF and co-editor of the report said.

The success of these countries underlines the importance of a joint ICT vision and its implementation by the different stakeholders in a country to take full advantage of ICT advances in daily life and overall competitiveness strategy, she added.

This includes general business, regulatory and infrastructure environment for ICT; the readiness of key stakeholders like individuals, businesses and government to use and benefit from ICT; and the actual usage of the latest information and communication technologies available.