Nepal ranks among extreme risk countries in Digital Divide report

Nepal ranks among the 'extreme risk' countries in the Digital Divide Report launched yesterday.
"Of the 39 countries rated at 'extreme risk', Nepal is one of them," according to the report that revealed that 29 countries were from sub-Saharan Africa.
The Digital Inclusion Index, released by risk analysis firm -- Maplecroft -- uses 10 indicators to calculate the level of digital inclusion found across 186 countries. These include numbers of mobile cellular and broadband subscriptions; fixed telephone lines; households with a PC and television; internet users and secure internet servers; internet bandwidth; secondary education enrolment; and adult literacy.
Sweden is among the countries with the best access to communications technologies, according to the report.
A Digital Inclusion Index compiled by British risk analysis firm MapleCroft put India in the 'extreme risk' category, meaning much of its population was shut out of the so-called 'digital revolution'.
India stood at 39 on the index, far behind Russia at 134, Brazil at 110 and China at 103, which were classified as being at 'medium risk' from lack of 'digital inclusion'.
"Digital inclusion has the potential to bring education to people in countries where educational infrastructure is limited and the development of cadres of teachers is still constrained," MapleCroft head Alyson Warhurst said.
Digital inclusion is also crucial in helping people take part in economic activities and improves democratic governance, Warhurst added.
The survey looked at 186 countries to identify those nations whose populations were being stifled by a lack of 'digital inclusion'. It used 10 indicators to assess to communications technology including mobile and broadband subscriptions.
Despite strong economic growth, the BRIC nations are still significantly outperformed by developed nations in the Digital Inclusion Index.
The countries with the best access to communications technologies were the Netherlands (186), Denmark (185), Luxembourg (184), Sweden (183) and the UK (182). Trends suggest that the BRICs nations may not lag behind for much longer however.
Of the BRICs nations, India (39) is the only country to be classified as ‘extreme risk’, meaning that the country’s population suffers from a severe lack of digital inclusion. China (103) Brazil (110) and Russia (134) are rated ‘medium risk’. Despite huge economic growth, the BRICs nations are still significantly outperformed by developed nations in the Digital Inclusion Index.
The BRICs have witnessed huge growth in demand for ICTs, which is currently driving global spending for the sector. China has the highest total number of internet users in the world (420 million), accounting for just over half of Asia’s internet users and is set to become the world’s largest ICT market, whilst India, Brazil and Russia have all seen huge expansion in demand and market size for ICT’s in recent years.
In India, for example, the wealthier, more affluent segment of the population, primarily based in urban areas, has embraced the use of modern communications technology. The growth of the middle classes in the country, which now sits at around 30 per cent of the population, has driven demand for consumer goods, including ICTs.
The vast majority of the population has, however, been excluded from this process, the report said, adding that most cannot afford ICTs (only three per cent of households own PCs), lack the education required to use it effectively (India has secondary school enrolment rates of 55 per cent and adult literacy rates of just under 63 per cent) and are located in geographical areas that have little or no connectivity to ICT services.