PR91687

VILNIUS, Lithuania, Sept. 15, 2021 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

- The global digital wellbeing study shows that the Japan has dropped 3 places

since last year, falling behind South Korea

The third annual edition of the Digital Quality of Life Index

(DQL)(https://surfshark.com/dql2021) ranks Japan 12th among 110 countries.

Covering 90% of the global population, the DQL study is conducted by the

cybersecurity company Surfshark and evaluates countries based on a set of five

fundamental digital wellbeing pillars. Japan excels in three, specifically

internet affordability (6th), e-government (11th) and e-infrastructure (13th),

but displays mediocre results in internet quality (31st), and e-security (32nd).

Overall, Japan's DQL has decreased slightly compared to 2020, falling from 9th

place to 12th. The country ranks 2nd in Eastern Asia behind South Korea. Mobile

internet in South Korea is 3 times faster (144.03 Mbps) than in Japan (41.19

Mbps). On the other hand, people in neighboring South Korea have to work 2

times more (total of 66 min/month) to afford the cheapest broadband internet.

Japan's DQL is around 30% better than the global average, but it still has room

for improvement in specific areas. Compared to the United Kingdom, Japan has a

similar GDP per capita, but e-security of both countries differs substantially

– UK ranks 17th in the pillar, while Japan barely makes it to the top 40.

Additionally, mobile internet stability in the country only ranks in 96th place

and its affordability is low compared to broadband.

"Digital opportunities have proved to be more important than ever during the

COVID-19 crisis, stressing the importance for every country to ensure fully

remote operational capacities for their economies,"–explains Vytautas

Kaziukonis, CEO of Surfshark. "That is why, for the third year in a row, we

continue the Digital Quality of Life research, which provides a robust global

outlook into how countries excel digitally. The index sets the basis for

meaningful discussions about how digital advancement impacts a country's

prosperity and where improvements can be made."

In an all-around picture, 6 out of 10 countries holding the highest scores are

located in Europe, following last year's trend. Denmark ranks 1st in DQL for

the second year in a row and is closely followed by South Korea. Finland ranks

3rd, while Israel and the U.S. round out the top five of 110 nations that were

evaluated. The bottom 5 countries are Ethiopia, Cambodia, Cameroon, Guatemala,

and Angola.

Regionally, the U.S. stands out as a country with the highest digital quality

of life in the Americas, while South Korea takes the leading position in Asia.

Among countries in Africa, people in South Africa enjoy the highest quality of

their digital lives whereas Australia leads in Oceania, outperforming New

Zealand in various digital areas.

Other significant findings of the report include:

-Broadband is globally less affordable this year. Comparing countries included

in both DQL20 and DQL21, people have to work 11% more (25 min more) to afford

broadband internet in 2021. However, people have to work 29% less (28 min less)

to afford mobile internet this year.

-The world's worst internet is the least affordable. People in some countries,

such as Nigeria, Côte D'Ivoire and Mali require approximately a week's worth of

work to afford the internet.

-Investing in electronic infrastructure and electronic government contributes

to people's digital wellbeing the most.

The 2021 DQL research examined a total population of more than 6.9 billion

people in terms of five core pillars and 14 underpinning indicators that

provide a comprehensive measure. The study is based on open-source information

provided by the United Nations, the World Bank, Freedom House, the

International Communications Union, and other sources.

The final 2021 Digital Quality of Life report and an interactive country

comparison tool can be found here: https://surfshark.com/dql2021

Surfshark, a Gold winner at 2021 Cybersecurity Excellence awards as a Most

Innovative Security Service of the Year, is a privacy protection toolset

developed to provide its users with the ability to control their online

presence seamlessly. The core premise of Surfshark is to humanize online

privacy protection and develop tools that protect users' privacy beyond the

realm of a virtual private network.

CONTACT:

Paulius Udra

+370-645 26125

paulius@surfsharkpress.com

SOURCE:  Surfshark