The ICT Development Index (IDI) comprises a variety of indicators that monitor and compare ICT development across the countries being assessed. According to the ITU, the IDI\u2019s main objectives are to measure:<\/p>\n
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- the level and evolution over time of ICT developments in countries and relative to other countries;<\/li>\n
- progress in ICT development in both developed and developing countries: the index should be global and reflect changes taking place in countries at different levels of ICT development;<\/li>\n
- the digital divide, i.e. differences between countries with different levels of ICT development;<\/li>\n
- the development potential of ICTs or the extent to which countries can make use of ICTs to enhance growth and development, based on available capabilities and skills.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
(Source:\u00a0ITU<\/a>)<\/p>\n
![\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/IDI-indicators-and-weights-2015.png?resize=488%2C413\")
Figure 1: IDI indicators and weightings for 2016 exercise (Source: ITU)<\/p><\/div>\n
Using the weightings shown for the sub-indices, the resulting IDI can have a maximum score of 10. In the latest IDI exercise, 175 economies worldwide were examined, including 15 Caribbean\/CARICOM countries.<\/p>\n
The Caribbean\u2019s IDI results<\/h3>\n
The following Caribbean countries were included in the 2016 IDI review: Antigua and Barbuda; the Bahamas, Barbados; Belize; Cuba; Dominica; Dominican Republic; Grenada; Guyana; Jamaica; Saint Kitts and Nevis; Saint Lucia; St. Vincent & the Grenadines; Suriname; and Trinidad anf Tobago. Their 2016 IDI ranking and scores are shown in Table 1.<\/p>\n
![\"Table](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/IDI-2016-country-rankings.png?resize=403%2C605\")
Table 1: 2016 IDI country rankings and scores for the top 10 economies, plus select Caribbean countries (Source: ITU)<\/p><\/div>\n
Generally, the IDI scores for all Caribbean countries improved from last year, but was not necessarily reflected in their ranking among all the countries assessed. For example, countries that slipped in the ranking though they had considerably better IDI scores were:<\/p>\n
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- The Bahamas, which scored 5.80 and was ranked 63rd<\/sup> in 2015, but scored 5.98 in 2016, but slipped one place to 64th<\/sup><\/li>\n
- Suriname, which scored 4.89 and was ranked 83rd<\/sup> in 2015, but scored 5.09 in 2016, but slipped one place to 84th<\/sup>, and<\/li>\n
- Saint Lucia, which scored 4.68 and was ranked 87th<\/sup> in 2015, but scored 4.85 in 2016, but slipped one place to 94th<\/sup>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Although the IDI summarises an individual country\u2019s performance, greater insight can be obtained from the sub-indices scores, which are combined to create the final result. Figure 2 shows the sub-indices scores for the Caribbean countries.<\/p>\n
![\"Figure](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/IDI-sub-indices-scores-for-select-Caribbean-countries-as-of-2016-Source-ITU.png?resize=615%2C357\")
Figure 2: IDI sub-indices scores for select Caribbean countries as of 2015 (Source: ITU)<\/p><\/div>\n
As reflected by the overall IDI scores and rankings, Saint Kitts and Nevis, followed by \u00a0Barbados and the Bahamas, generally performed the best across all three sub-indices (access, use and skills). The most notable exception continues to be Cuba, which overall had an IDI score of 2.73 and was ranked 135th out of 175 countries, but continues to score highly under the ICT skills sub-index, 7.25, and was fourth behind Barbados (7.69), Saint Kitts and Nevis (7.55) and the Bahamas (7.43).<\/p>\n
Across the Caribbean group, and similar to previous years, the countries continue to perform relatively well under the ICT access and skills sub-indices, which indicate that the region has a reasonably good handle on matters related to telecoms access\/infrastructure and education. However, they are still challenged with regard to improving ICT readiness, based on the actual take-up (of both wired and wireless broadband subscriptions densities) and use of Internet.<\/p>\n
In summary, and we approach the end of 2016, the IDI result suggest that as individual countries and a region, the Caribbean still has not established the requisite systems, nor have they implemented adequate initiatives, that promote better use of technology by their citizens.\u00a0 It is emphasised that IDI scores not only reflect that the region is still lagging behind in relation to ICT development, it also suggests that they are still not positioning themselves for the possibilities and opportunities those technologies offer.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Image credits: \u00a0Philip Dehm<\/a>\u00a0(flickr)<\/em><\/p>\n
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