One might expect the United States to be a world leader in technology, however, Denmark, Germany, Japan, and Sweden meet or exceed United States expenditures on technology. Only Italy has lower percentages of households without personal computers and internet users.
TECHNOLOGY
| COLOR CODING | |
|---|---|
| Green | Ranked first for statistic |
| Red | Ranked last for statistic |
| Technology Expenditure % of GDP | % Households w/Computers | % Population Using Internet | Mobile Broadband Subscriptions Per 100 | Fixed Broadband Subscribers Per 100 | Broadband Performance Rates | |
| Australia | 1.8 | 85.6 | 96 | 126.4 | 35.1 | 82.73 |
| Canada | 1.7 | 87.6 | 93 | 81.0 | 42.6 | 183.81 |
| Denmark | 2.8 | 95.0 | 98 | 142.7 | 45.0 | 227.91 |
| France | 2.2 | 82.8 | 85 | 106.9 | 49.4 | 214.04 |
| Germany | 3.1 | 90.6 | 92 | 95.5 | 45.0 | 136.66 |
| Italy | 1.5 | 74.0 | 85 | 95.9 | 31.5 | 104.09 |
| Japan | 3.3 | 83.3 | 83 | 234.4 | 37.2 | 178.76 |
| Netherlands | 2.3 | 97.6 | 93 | 123.3 | 44.4 | 165.00 |
| Norway | 1.9 | 95.4 | 99 | 117.1 | 45.9 | 168.25 |
| Sweden | 3.4 | 93.4 | 95 | 132.4 | 40.4 | 174.90 |
| United Kingdom | 2.9 | 90.8 | 97 | 115.1 | 41.4 | 102.24 |
| United States | 3.5 | 81.5 | 92 | 173.5 | 37.8 | 203.81 |
SOURCES:
7/23/2024: We recognize that this data is out of date. We are seeking updated information.
Technology Expenditure
Research & development spending as a share of GDP. This includes basic research, applied research, and experimental development. Data for 2021. Updated 8/1/2024.
Households w/ personal computer
This statistic seems difficult to find in 2024. It could be that computers and cell phones are so ubiquitous that the question is moot. We will keep looking, as a personal computer in the home facilitates internet access. BOLO updates.
Percent of population using internet, World Bank, 2022
Out of the nearly 8 billion people in the world, 5.35 billion of them, or around 66% of the world’s population, have access to the internet, according to Statista. updated 8/1/2024.
These internet use statistics vary from source to source. The Pew Research Center indicates higher proportions for the US than are shown in our table, however, Pew did not have data for the countries in our comparison.
Mobile-broadband subscriptions per 100
World Bank, 2022. Updated 8/1/2024.
Fixed broadband subscribers per 100
World Bank Group, data from 2022. Updated 8/1/2024.
Broadband performance rates
Internet bandwidth in Mbps (megabits per second). Updated 8/1/2024.
Notes
July 29, 2024, World Economic Forum
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