BD ranks 70th among 100 nations

Bangladesh has ranked 70th on the 'Inclusive Internet Index 2020', which seeks to measure the accessibility, affordability and relevance of internet among 100 nations.
The report on the index, commissioned by Facebook and conducted by The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) recently, said: "Bangladesh occupies a place in the lowest third of Asian countries in nearly all four index pillars."
It said the subpar quality and patchy coverage of the country's networks and a dearth of local content and e-government services are among the factors constraining efforts to widen the internet inclusion.
The index provides a rigorous benchmark of national-level internet inclusion in 100 countries across four categories: availability, affordability, relevance and readiness.
Bangladesh categorically ranked 72nd in availability, 65th in affordability, 72nd in relevance and 65th in readiness.
According to the report, India ranked 40th, Sri Lanka 56th and Pakistan 76th in overall position in South Asia.
This year's index, which covers 91 per cent of the world's population, is published for the third year alongside the Value of the Internet Survey, which polled 4,953 respondents from 99 countries, to gauge perceptions on how internet use affects people's lives and livelihoods.
The EIU said Sweden, New Zealand and the United States topped the list, followed by Australia, Denmark, South Korea, Canada, United Kingdom, France and Spain.
Internet access is increasing globally, but vast disparities remain and the rate of uptake is slowing in the hardest-to-reach areas, the EIU said, adding mobile data has been a game-changer for lower-income groups, but access is still too expensive.
African nation Burundi ranked the worst or 100th position following Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi and Burkina Faso.

[email protected]