ICT Development Index

The ICT Development Index (IDI) is an index published by the United Nations International Telecommunication Union based on internationally agreed information and communication technologies (ICT) indicators. This makes it a valuable tool for benchmarking the most important indicators for measuring the information society. The IDI is a standard tool that governments, operators, development agencies, researchers and others can use to measure the digital divide and compare ICT performance within and across countries. The ICT Development Index is based on 11 ICT indicators, grouped in three clusters: access, use and skills.

The access sub-index captures ICT readiness, and includes five infrastructure and access indicators.

a. fixed-telephone subscriptions/100 inhabitants b. mobile-cellular telephone subscriptions/100 inhabitants c. international Internet bandwidth (bits/s) per user d. percentage of households with a computer e. percentage of households with Internet access

The use sub-index captures ICT intensity, and includes three ICT intensity and usage indicators.

a. percentage of individuals using the Internet b. fixed (wired)-broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants c. Wireless broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants (includes satellite, terrestrial fixed, and active mobile with a minimum download of 256 kbit/s)

The skills sub-index captures ICT capability or skills as indispensable input indicators. It includes three proxy indicators and is given less weight in the computation of the IDI compared with the other two sub-indices.

a. adult literacy rate (% population 15 and older who can read and write simple statements with understanding and do simple arithmetic calculations) b. gross enrollment ratio secondary level (total enrollment in a specific level of education as a percentage of all eligible) c. gross enrollment ratio tertiary level (total enrollment in a specific level of education as a percentage of all eligible)