7. New Zealand

New Zealand ranks high on the list, scoring eighth for impact, seventh for the Web and ninth for Readiness. The Social Impact of the Web is quite noteworthy, with New Zealand ranking third globally for that part similar to Australia. It ranks considerably lower in terms Economic Impact (17), Communications Infrastructure (15) and Web Usage (11). For example, New Zealand’s average Internet speeds are among the slowest of all developed nations. However, New Zealand is making improvements in its use of the Web for commerce—according to survey data, the extent to which businesses use the Web has risen considerably over the past five years.

6. Switzerland

Switzerland ranks highest for the Economic Impact of the Web (2), Web Usage (2) and Communications Infrastructure (4). Yet in some categories Switzerland ranks surprisingly lower, including social (15) and political (16) impacts, which leave Switzerland ranking 10th overall in the impact sub-index. According to the United Nations, the country’s e-participation index score has fallen from 0.41 in 2007 to 0.34 in 2011, implying significant scope for the Government to increase the extent to which it uses the Web to engage and interact with citizens.