ICT development index 2013: LatAm winners and losers

Barbados jumped seven places to number 29 in the International Telecommunication Union's ( ITU) global ICT development index to become the only country from Latin America and the Caribbean in the top 30. Several other countries in the region also saw significant changes in their ICT development rankings, according to the report which covers 2012. Costa Rica significantly improved its score, jumping five places to reach number 60 in the 2012 ranking, according to the report. Several other leading countries also increased their ranking, albeit more modestly. Uruguay jumped 3 places to number 47, while Chile increased to 51, compared to 50 in the 2011 ranking. Meanwhile, Bolivia and El Salvador each moved up three places, reaching numbers 99 and 100 in the ranking respectively. However, it is worth noting that little change was seen among the largest economies in the region. Brazil and Argentina maintained their places at 62 and 53 respectively, while Mexico dropped one place to 83 and Colombia improved by one place to 77. Meanwhile, a range of countries, including Nicaragua, Honduras, Peru and Cuba fell by one place in the ranking. Larger drops were seen by countries including Venezuela and Suriname, which each fell by three places to 79 and 87 respectively. The largest decrease in the region was seen by Antigua and Barbuda, which fell five places to 49, but nevertheless retains its position as one of the most developed countries in Latin America in terms of ICT. On a worldwide level, Korea retained its position as the most developed country in terms of ICT, while Niger remained the least developed of the 157 countries included in the scale.