As the world increasingly becomes more connected, the latest International Telecommunications Union (ITU) report shows that nearly all 175 countries surveyed during the past year have improved their information and communication technology (ICT) development index (IDI) compared with 2015.

The yearly ‘Measuring the Information Society Report’ shows Africa working towards pushing up its IDI performance; however, the average of 2.48 IDI points for the continent was half that of the global average of 4.94.

The countries claiming the top ten spots in the IDI 2016 included two economies in the Asia-Pacific region and seven European countries. The Republic of South Korea topped the IDI rankings for the second consecutive year.

The top seven economies in the Asia-Pacific region have IDI values above 7.50 and rank within the highest quartile of IDI 2016, while the Commonwealth of Independent States region emerges as the most homogeneous in terms of ICT development, with nearly all countries in the region boasting IDI values above the global average.

The report shows three island countries in the Caribbean, namely St Kitts and Nevis, Dominica and Grenada, to be among the “most dynamic countries” with strong improvements in their IDI value during the year under review.

“Europe continues to lead the way in ICT development. It had the highest average IDI value among world regions (7.35). Countries in Europe generally have liberalised communications markets with high levels of ICT access, use and skills,” ITU said.

Several countries within the Americas significantly improved their performance in the IDI, as did several countries in Latin America, notably Bolivia and Mexico.

“There is great diversity in ICT development across the Arab States. The five highest performing countries in the Arab States region are oil-rich high-income economies, but the region also includes a number of low-income countries, three of which are among the least connected countries,” the report said.