Following CapGemini (which was engaged by the European Commission) and the World Economic Forum, the world-renowned Economist Intelligence Unit has ranked Malta among the top 25 nations in the world in ‘e-Readiness’.

The Economist Intelligence Unit defines ‘e-Readiness’ as “the state of play” of a country’s information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure and the ability of its consumers, businesses and governments to use ICT to their benefit. When a country does more on-line – or, as is increasingly the case, wirelessly – the premise is that its economy can become more transparent and efficient. The ranking allows governments to gauge the success of their technology initiatives against those of other countries. It also provides companies that wish to invest in on-line operations with an overview of the world’s most promising investment locations.”

On this basis Malta was ranked 24 of 69 countries surveyed world-wide, ahead of direct competitors in the region – Italy, Spain, Portugal, Estonia and Slovenia among others. This is the first time Malta was assessed by the Economist Intelligence Unit.

The Economist Intelligence Unit works out its ‘e-Readiness’ rankings as “a weighted collection of nearly 100 quantitative and qualitative criteria, organised into six distinct categories measuring the various components of a country’s social, political, economic and of course technological development.