The World Economic Forum announced its findings in their annual “Network Readiness Index,” which provides a comprehensive assessment of networked readiness, or how prepared an economy is to apply the benefits of information and communications technologies (ICTs) to promote economic growth and well-being.

Barbados is ranked 39th in the world, followed by Puerto Rico (44), Costa Rica (49), Panama (51), Trinidad and Tobago (70), and Jamaica (82). The report did not index all Caribbean countries. It is possible that some countries (colonial territories) were subsumed under other categories, such as the Netherlands or others.

According to the World Economic Forum, the report ranks the progress of 148 economies in leveraging ICTs to increase productivity, economic growth and the number of quality jobs.

The rankings also show how far some countries have gone in bridging the digital divide – not only in terms of developing ICT infrastructure, but also in terms of economic and social impact – and highlight the main strengths and weaknesses countries are facing. This edition also analyses in detail the rewards and risks associated with big data and what public and private organizations must do to benefit from it. The report remains the most comprehensive and authoritative international assessment of its kind.

For full ranking see, http://reports.weforum.org/global-information-technology-report-2015/network-readiness-index/

Also see http://www.weforum.org/reports