Digital Quality of Life (DQL) Index 2021

India ranked 59^th in Digital Quality of Life Index (DQL), 2021. This is the third annual edition of DQL. It is calculated based on the study conducted by a cyber security company called Surfshark. The company creates the index based on five digital well-being pillars.

India in DQL

India ranked 33^rd in E-Governance, 47^th in internet affordability, 36^th in E-Security, 67^th in internet quality, 91^st in E-infrastructure. India ranked 17^th in Asia and first in South Asia. The E-security of India in 2021 had increased by 76% as compared to 2020. India ranked higher than China in terms of E-security. India outperformed Bangladesh in four of the five parameters. However, in terms of E-infrastructure India performed 30% worse than the global average. According to the study, the mobile speed in India is one of the slowest in the world. Also, India performed worse in terms of ?Number of persons using internet?. In this category, India ranked 95^th.

Other Countries

Denmark ranked first in the Digital Quality of Life Index, 2021. It was followed by South Korea and Finland in the second and third places respectively. US and Israel were at the fourth and fifth places. The bottom five countries in the ranking were Ethiopia, Cambodia, Cameroon, Guatemala and Angola. The United States possessed the highest digital quality of life in the American continent. South Korea ranked first in Asia. In the African continent, South Africa had the highest quality of digital lives. In Oceania, Australia outperformed New Zealand.

About DQL

The countries were ranked based on the following parameters:

• Internet Affordability: How long should an individual work to get an internet connection?
• Electronic Security: How well is the internet protected in the country? Does people feel safe in using internet?
• Electronic Government: How advanced are the government services in the country? Are they accessible through digital means?
• Electronic Infrastructure: How developed is the electronic infrastructure in the country?
• Internet Quality: How fast is the internet connection in the country?

The above parameters are linked to twelve indicators that are related to work. The index is formed with the five parameters and the twelve indicators.