Mapped: The World’s Digital Leaders in 2026

Which Economies Lead in Digital Connectivity?

Digital connectivity now shapes everything from commerce and education to access to public services. Yet the ability to get online and make productive use of that connection still varies widely around the world.

This visualization maps 159 economies using the International Telecommunication Union’s ICT Development Index (IDI) for 2026. The report was published in June 2026, with its underlying indicators primarily reflecting 2024 data.

What Does the ICT Development Index Measure?

The IDI measures progress toward “universal and meaningful connectivity.” Its 10 indicators span two pillars: universal connectivity and meaningful connectivity. These include internet access and usage, network coverage, data consumption, and affordability.

The following table shows IDI scores for all 159 economies, based on ITU’s 2026 report.

Economy	IDI Score (2026)
Saudi Arabia	99.8
United Arab Emirates	98.8
Estonia	98.5
Finland	98.4
Kuwait	98.4
Qatar	98.4
Denmark	98.2
Bahrain	98.0
Hong Kong, China	97.9
Singapore	97.9
United States	97.9
Malta	97.4
Lithuania	96.6
Sweden	96.6
Austria	96.4
Poland	96.4
Iceland	96.3
South Korea	95.5
Latvia	95.5
Ireland	95.3
Malaysia	95.3
United Kingdom	95.3
Israel	95.1
Australia	94.9
Netherlands	94.9
Macao, China	94.7
Liechtenstein	94.5
China	94.4
Russian Federation	94.4
Japan	94.3
Croatia	93.9
Norway	93.9
Chile	93.8
Spain	93.8
Switzerland	93.8
Brunei Darussalam	93.6
Luxembourg	93.3
Kazakhstan	93.0
Monaco	93.0
New Zealand	92.2
Belarus	92.0
France	91.9
Uruguay	91.9
Bulgaria	91.6
Oman	91.6
Slovenia	91.6
Thailand	91.6
Georgia	91.5
Montenegro	91.3
Andorra	91.2
Romania	91.1
Cyprus	90.8
Czech Republic	90.6
Belgium	90.4
Germany	90.4
Hungary	90.4
Serbia	90.3
Portugal	90.1
Bahamas	90.0
Canada	89.9
Italy	89.9
Slovakia	89.6
Mongolia	89.2
Morocco	89.2
Mauritius	89.1
Türkiye	89.1
Iran	89.0
Uzbekistan	88.8
North Macedonia	88.6
Kyrgyzstan	88.4
Viet Nam	88.4
Greece	88.3
Algeria	87.8
Armenia	87.6
Jordan	87.0
Bhutan	86.4
South Africa	86.4
Azerbaijan	86.3
Costa Rica	86.0
Albania	85.0
Indonesia	84.7
Brazil	84.6
Seychelles	84.4
Moldova	84.1
Suriname	83.7
Bosnia and Herzegovina	83.5
Argentina	83.4
Fiji	83.3
Mexico	83.3
Maldives	83.1
Jamaica	82.1
Peru	81.2
Trinidad and Tobago	80.3
Tunisia	80.1
Panama	80.0
Cabo Verde	79.8
Egypt	79.6
Colombia	79.4
Iraq	79.4
Dominican Rep.	79.3
Paraguay	79.0
Eswatini	78.9
Cambodia	78.7
Botswana	77.7
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	76.5
Gabon	76.2
Bolivia	75.9
Ghana	75.6
Belize	73.9
Philippines	73.6
Ecuador	73.2
Sri Lanka	73.2
Senegal	72.8
Namibia	72.2
Côte d’Ivoire	72.0
Palestine*	71.8
Myanmar	71.6
Guatemala	70.8
Kiribati	70.8
Lao P.D.R.	70.3
Bangladesh	68.9
Nepal	68.1
Pakistan	67.7
El Salvador	67.5
Nicaragua	67.2
Djibouti	65.5
Vanuatu	64.8
Sao Tome and Principe	62.9
Honduras	62.8
Zimbabwe	62.8
Tajikistan	62.6
Kenya	60.6
Venezuela	59.8
Lesotho	59.7
Gambia	58.9
Tanzania	57.2
Congo	56.0
Nigeria	55.8
Angola	55.4
Rwanda	55.3
Comoros	54.3
Zambia	53.5
Benin	51.6
Yemen	50.3
Togo	49.5
Ethiopia	48.1
Timor-Leste	47.2
Cuba	46.9
Syrian Arab Republic	43.9
Papua New Guinea	43.7
Guinea-Bissau	42.4
Uganda	40.3
Somalia	37.2
Malawi	36.5
Mozambique	36.4
Afghanistan	36.2
Madagascar	34.5
Dem. Rep. of the Congo	33.8
Burundi	25.2

Beyond the Gulf, Estonia is Europe’s highest-ranked economy at 98.5, followed by Finland at 98.4. The U.S. ties for 9th overall at 97.9 and is the highest-scoring economy in the Americas, while Canada scores 89.9.

Gulf Economies Dominate the Top 10

Five of the 10 highest scores in the dataset belong to Middle Eastern economies: Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, and Bahrain. Saudi Arabia’s two IDI pillar scores are especially high, reaching 100 for universal connectivity and 99.6 for meaningful connectivity.

Across the wider Arab States region, however, the picture is much less uniform. ITU calculates a regional average of 78, with scores ranging from near the top of the scale to just 37. This shows how network availability, adoption, and affordability can differ substantially even among neighboring economies.

Asia’s Wide Digital Divide

Asia and the Pacific provide another striking contrast. Hong Kong and Singapore both score 97.9, while South Korea reaches 95.5 and Malaysia 95.3. Yet the ITU finds a 62-point gap between the region’s highest- and lowest-scoring economies.

Urbanization, infrastructure, and income all contribute to these differences. Previous ITU research found particularly large regional variations in internet use, mobile ownership, and broadband affordability. As digital commerce expands, these connectivity gaps can also affect participation in digital trade agreements and the wider digital economy.

At the same time, Asia is at the center of a global data center boom, as rising cloud adoption and AI workloads drive demand for digital infrastructure. Southeast Asian hubs such as Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand are attracting investment as operators expand beyond more established markets like Singapore.

Connectivity Is More Than Internet Access

Globally, the average IDI score is 79, with 59 economies scoring between 90 and 100 and 15 scoring below 50. Income remains closely associated with digital development: average scores range from 42 among low-income economies to 93 among high-income economies.

The index also has limits. It does not currently capture fixed-broadband penetration, internet speeds, digital skills, or online safety and security.

Even with those limitations, the broader trend is positive. Among the 151 economies included in both the 2023 and 2026 editions, 146 improved their IDI scores. As digital services become more embedded in work and public services, narrowing the remaining affordability and usage gaps will become increasingly important.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

To explore another dimension of the global digital economy, see Charting the World’s Top Digital Exporters on the Voronoi app.

• Source: https://www.visualcapitalist.com/mapped-the-worlds-digital-leaders-in-2026/