Pakistan Makes a Huge Jump on Network Readiness Index
Posted by HAROON HAYDER
Pakistan has significantly improved its position on the Network Readiness Index (NRI) as the country jumped 14 places to 97th spot in 2021 from the 111th place in 2020.
Portulans Institue, a US-based independent research institute, has been publishing the NRI each year since 2019. The NRI aims to highlight the application and impact of information and communication technology (ICT) in countries around the world.
The NRI 2021 maps the network readiness landscape of 130 countries based on their performances in four core pillars: Technology, People, Governance, and Impact.
Each core pillar further consists of three sub-pillars and every one of them uses 60 variables to formulate the 2021 report.
According to NRI 2021, Pakistan ranks at 97th spot out of 130 countries on the list. Its biggest strength is Technology and it requires a lot of improvement in Governance.
Here is Pakistan’s rank in each core area of NRI 2021.
| Pillar | Rank |
| Technology | 73rd |
| People | 105th |
| Governance | 108th |
| Impact | 92nd |
Where lower-middle-income countries on the NRI 2021 are concerned, Pakistan is ranked at 17th position among the group. Its overall NRI score is slightly higher than the group’s average. Its scores for the core pillars of Technology and Impact are also higher than the group’s average scores for these two pillars.
As for the region, Pakistan is ranked 18th in Asia and Pacific on the NRI. Its overall NRI score and each pillar’s score are significantly lower than the regional averages.
Here is a breakdown of Pakistan’s overall NRI score and performance in each core pillar with respect to lower-middle-income countries and the Asia Pacific.
| Dimension | Pakistan | Lower-middle-income countries | Asia and Pacific |
| Overall NRI Score | 40.25 | 40.00 | 54.38 |
| Technology | 41.86 | 33.64 | 50.01 |
| People | 34.19 | 37.84 | 51.22 |
| Governance | 37.66 | 43.38 | 58.01 |
| Impact | 47.30 | 45.13 | 58.28 |
Lastly, the NRI 2021 has listed a number of strongest and weakest indicators of Pakistan identified from each of the sub-pillar which are mentioned below:
| Strongest Indicators | Weakest Indicators |
| Active mobile broadband subscriptions | ICT skills |
| SMS sent by population 15-69 | Gender gap in Internet use |
| International Internet bandwidth | Publication and use of open data |
| AI scientific publications | E-commerce legislation |
| Internet shopping | Income inequality |
| Computer software spending | |
| ICT services exports | |
| Annual investment in
telecommunication services |
|
| Growth rate of GDP per person engaged | |
| Investment in emerging technologies |
Via: Portulans Institute
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