SINGAPORE: Denmark has been found to be the most Web-savvy country in the world while Singapore jumped to seventh place from last year's number 12, according to a survey.
Denmark was more aggressive than any other country in taking advantage of the Internet, according to the research by US computer company International Business Machines and the intelligence unit of British magazine The Economist.
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Denmark, which was second last year, climbed to the top spot after it set up a governmental portal website which brings together five ministries and 24 other organisations where companies can access services online.
Sweden, which occupied pole position last year, fell to number three, behind second-placed Britain but in front of Norway and Finland which occupied fourth and fifth position respectively.
The four Nordic countries, together with the UK, pushed the United States out of the top five.
America dropped to sixth place from a shared third place despite having the world's best social and cultural environment for the Internet, because the percentage of broadband connections was falling behind other nations.
The differences were small between the top eight, which all scored more than eight points as a result of plentiful, cheap Internet connections, software and technical support, legal and government frameworks and populations keen to spend time on the Net.
Countries like Japan (25th place), Russia (55), Peru (47) and Australia (12) all fell several places in the ranking.
But Singapore jumped five places to the seventh spot and Hong Kong climbed one spot to number nine.
South Korea also continued its ascent, grabbing the 14th place, up from No. 21 two years ago.
These places all have high broadband Internet penetration and are eager to move government and business on-line, unlike other parts of Asia where banks are slow to move to the Web.
64 countries were surveyed in the research. - CNA
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