Bahrain has climbed 22 places, rising from 61st place to 39th since last year, surpassing Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates according to the third annual edition of the Digital Quality of Life Index.
The latest Digital Quality of Life Index (DQL) ranks the US fifth among 110 countries. Covering 90% of the global population, the DQL study is conducted by the cybersecurity company Surfshark and evaluates countries based on a set of five fundamental digital wellbeing pillars.
Bahrain shows competitive results in internet quality (12th) and e-infrastructure (28th), but displays comparatively lower scores in internet affordability (52nd), e-security (86th) and e-government (41st).
Overall, Bahrain has demonstrated one of the most significant improvements compared to DQL 2020,. Coming 4th in Western Asia, Bahrain’s internet quality and e-infrastructure are among the top 30 in the world. The study shows notable growth in internet affordability and e-security, which improved by 176% and 117%, respectively.
People in Bahrain have to work 10 minutes 15 seconds to afford the cheapest 1GB mobile data package. It is 5 minutes 42 seconds less than in 2020. Whereas to purchase the cheapest broadband package Bahrainis have to work 2 hours 47 minutes, 2 hours less than previous year.
The country still has room for improvement in specific areas – Saudi Arabia’s and Qatar’s mobile and broadband internet is 2 times faster. Additionally, people in Qatar have to work 2 times less to afford mobile internet, while Saudi Arabians have to work a striking 4 times less. Bahrain’s e-security could be better, as it is the country’s lowest score and comes only 86th.
“Digital opportunities have proved to be more important than ever during the Covid-19 crisis, stressing the importance for every country to ensure fully remote operational capacities for their economies,” – explained Vytautas Kaziukonis, CEO of Surfshark.
That is why, for the third year in a row, we continue the Digital Quality of Life research, which provides a robust global outlook into how countries excel digitally. The index sets the basis for meaningful discussions about how digital advancement impacts a country’s prosperity and where improvements can be made.”
In an all-around picture, 6 out of 10 countries holding the highest scores are located in Europe, following last year’s trend. Denmark ranks 1st in DQL for the second year in a row and is closely followed by South Korea. Finland ranks 3rd, while Israel and the US round out the top five of 110 nations that were evaluated. The bottom 5 countries are Ethiopia, Cambodia, Cameroon, Guatemala, and Angola.
Regionally, the US stands out as a country with the highest digital quality of life in the Americas, while South Korea takes the leading position in Asia. Among countries in Africa, people in South Africa enjoy the highest quality of their digital lives whereas Australia leads in Oceania, outperforming New Zealand in various digital areas.
Other significant findings of the report include:
• Broadband is globally less affordable this year. Comparing countries included in both DQL20 and DQL21, people have to work 11% more (25 min more) to afford broadband internet in 2021. However, people have to work 29% less (28 min less) to afford mobile internet this year.
• The world’s worst internet is the least affordable. People in some countries, such as Nigeria, Côte D'Ivoire and Mali require approximately a week’s worth of work to afford the internet.
• Investing in electronic infrastructure and electronic government contributes to people’s digital wellbeing the most.
The 2021 DQL research examined a total population of more than 6.9 billion people in terms of five core pillars and 14 underpinning indicators that provide a comprehensive measure. The study is based on open-source information provided by the United Nations, the World Bank, Freedom House, the International Communications Union, and other sources. – TradeArabia News Service