Web Index

The Web Index, by the World Wide Web Foundation, tracks the Web’s contribution to social, economic and political progress across 86 countries. Firstly released in 2012, it is an annual country ranking, allowing for comparisons of trends over time and benchmarking of performance across countries.

The index ranks countries across four dimensions:

• Universal Access: assessing whether countries have invested in affordable access to high quality internet infrastructure, as well as investing in the education and skills citizens need to use the Web well;
• Freedom and Openness: measuring the extent to which citizens enjoy rights to information, opinion, expression, safety and privacy online;
• Empowerment: assessing the difference that the Web is making to people, and the extent to which use of the Web by stakeholders is fostering positive change
• Relevant Content: mapping both Web use by citizens and the content available in each country, with an emphasis on the extent to which different stakeholders can access information that is relevant to them

For more information about the methodology through which the Web Index is compiled, see here . Data referring to 2014 can be downloaded here .