The world's most wired countries
Sweden may be better known for cars and couches than computers, but when it comes to access to broadband and cellular networks, it's tops. The Scandinavian country leads the world in "technological readiness," according to the World Economic Forum.
To rank high on the list - one of 12 included in the WEF's annual Global Competitiveness Report - countries need to have tech-friendly government policies as well as high-tech usage. In the ranking, the WEF focuses on information and communication technologies (ICT), like cellular connectivity and broadband Internet, noting that "ICT has evolved into the 'general-purpose technology' of our time ... responsible for a large part of productivity increases."
Rankings are based on a combination of hard data from organizations like the International Telecommunications Union and responses to the WEF's Executive Opinion Survey on topics like business adoption of technology and laws relating to ICT. About 11,000 business executives in 131 countries participate in the survey.
