TEHRAN – With a score of 45.51, Iran ranks 79th out of 133 countries in the Network Readiness Index (NRI) - a leading global index on the application and impact of information and communication technology (ICT) in the economy.

The 2024 edition of the NRI Report published by the World Economic Forum maps the network-based readiness landscape of 133 economies based on their performances in four different pillars including Technology, People, Governance, and Impact. 

Each of these pillars is comprised of three sub-pillars that have been populated by a total of 54 variables.

Iran’s main strength relates to People, with a global ranking of 47, while the greatest scope for improvement concerns Impact, ranking 120. The country ranks 54th and 81st in Technology and Governance, respectively.

Iran’s best rankings in sub-pillars include 18 in Business, 24 in Future Technologies, 38 in Content, and 39 in Individuals. However, the economy’s performance in Governments (ranking 104), Regulations (124), and SDG Contribution (132) could be improved.

Regarding indicators, the country has performed well in AI Scientific Publication (ranking 1), Computer Software Spending (3), Mobile broadband internet traffic within the country (9), and Rural gap in the use of digital annual payment (9). The weak indicators include Privacy protection by law content and SDG 5: Women’s economic opportunity (132), as well as regulatory quality (131).

In the group of upper-middle-income countries, Iran is ranked 22nd. In terms of pillar performance, it has a score higher than the income group average in two of the four pillars, People and Technology.

At the sub-pillar level, it outperforms upper-middle-income countries in six of the twelve sub-pillars, Content, Future Technology, Individual, Business, Trust, and Inclusion. Iran is ranked 14 within Asia and the Pacific.

According to the NRI report 2024, the U.S., Singapore, Finland, Sweden, and South Korea ranked first to fifth, respectively.

Iran ranked 94th in Government AI readiness

Oxford Insights, which provides data on preparedness to implement Artificial Intelligence in public service delivery, has ranked Iran 94th among 193 governments across the world.

Governments are not only working to foster AI innovation and establish regulatory frameworks but also striving to integrate this technology into public services.

However, understanding how to ensure that AI is adopted effectively for the public good remains a challenge. This index attempts to address this issue.

It includes 39 indicators across 10 dimensions, which make up 3 pillars: Government, Technology Sector, and Data and Infrastructure pillars.

According to the index, the country’s best ranking is in the Data and Infrastructure pillar, 55.88. It includes infrastructure, data availability, and data representativeness indicators. 

The country’s score in the Technology pillar was 38.77. It includes human capital, innovation capacity, and maturity indicators. 

Iran’s lowest score is in the Government pillar, 31.56, probably due to the absence of a national document on AI development. However, with the implementation of the document, the country’s ranking is expected to rise in the future.

The United States, Singapore, and England are ranked first to third, respectively.

In most countries, the Technology pillar including human capital, and innovation capacity has the lowest score. However, most of the Arab countries have been able to make significant progress in promoting governments’ readiness to implement AI due to their investment in strengthening the infrastructure and developing strategies related to the establishment of AI.

MT/MG