Technology
Ranking Countries By Digital Quality of Life in 2022
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Ranking Countries By Digital Quality of Life in 2022
Life and work in the 21st century is increasingly reliant on modern technology, with a country’s digital quality of life playing a massive role on people’s day-to-day.
Some countries excel in internet access and affordability, while others have more modern digital systems and relevant laws. And many regions of the world suffer with lacking digital infrastructure and access across the board.
The 2022 Digital Quality of Life Index (DQL) from Surfshark analyzes countries on digital wellbeing, based on data from the UN, World Bank, Freedom House, and the International Communications Union.
5 Metrics for Measuring Digital Wellbeing
The DQL Index covers 117 countries with readily available data, making up 92% of the global population. Each country is scored on five pillars:
- Internet Affordability—How much time people have to work to afford a stable internet connection.
- Internet Quality—How fast and stable the internet connectivity in a country is and how well it’s improving.
- Electronic Infrastructure—How well developed and inclusive a country’s existing electronic infrastructure is.
- Electronic Security—How safe and protected people feel in a country.
- Electronic Government—How advanced and digitized a country’s government services are.
Visualizing The World’s Digital Quality of Life
Overall, Europe and Asia led the digital quality of life rankings in 2022. Israel took the top spot with an incredibly strong score in internet affordability. Here are the countries sorted by rankings and their weighted scores in each category:
Rank | Country | Affordability | Quality | E-infrastructure | E-security | E-government |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Israel | 0.1917 | 0.0981 | 0.1668 | 0.1503 | 0.1541 |
2 | Denmark | 0.047 | 0.1186 | 0.1968 | 0.1878 | 0.1844 |
3 | Germany | 0.0718 | 0.0926 | 0.1922 | 0.1946 | 0.1612 |
4 | France | 0.0534 | 0.111 | 0.1834 | 0.1878 | 0.1749 |
5 | Sweden | 0.0213 | 0.1059 | 0.1958 | 0.1878 | 0.1787 |
6 | Netherlands | 0.0241 | 0.0985 | 0.1956 | 0.1865 | 0.1796 |
7 | Finland | 0.0171 | 0.0973 | 0.192 | 0.1892 | 0.1869 |
8 | Japan | 0.0684 | 0.1024 | 0.1846 | 0.1462 | 0.177 |
9 | U.K. | 0.0413 | 0.0898 | 0.1882 | 0.1611 | 0.188 |
10 | South Korea | 0.0252 | 0.1139 | 0.1884 | 0.1516 | 0.1868 |
11 | Lithuania | 0.0508 | 0.087 | 0.1705 | 0.1973 | 0.1592 |
12 | U.S. | 0.0326 | 0.113 | 0.1944 | 0.1224 | 0.1947 |
13 | Switzerland | 0.0337 | 0.1114 | 0.1914 | 0.1597 | 0.1607 |
14 | Estonia | 0.0219 | 0.0759 | 0.1852 | 0.1946 | 0.1779 |
15 | Singapore | 0.0717 | 0.1134 | 0.1852 | 0.0943 | 0.19 |
16 | Spain | 0.0257 | 0.0924 | 0.1777 | 0.1919 | 0.1656 |
17 | Norway | 0.0136 | 0.0923 | 0.194 | 0.1649 | 0.174 |
18 | Luxembourg | 0.0272 | 0.0911 | 0.1878 | 0.1689 | 0.1597 |
19 | Italy | 0.0362 | 0.082 | 0.1733 | 0.1824 | 0.159 |
20 | Portugal | 0.0085 | 0.1101 | 0.1576 | 0.1932 | 0.1565 |
21 | Belgium | 0.0162 | 0.0868 | 0.1823 | 0.1973 | 0.1409 |
22 | Austria | 0.0279 | 0.0717 | 0.1782 | 0.1716 | 0.1719 |
23 | Poland | 0.0242 | 0.0869 | 0.1566 | 0.1905 | 0.1568 |
24 | Ireland | 0.0217 | 0.0874 | 0.1799 | 0.1662 | 0.1596 |
25 | Czechia | 0.023 | 0.0755 | 0.1707 | 0.196 | 0.1472 |
26 | Canada | 0.0228 | 0.0967 | 0.1831 | 0.1289 | 0.1723 |
27 | Hungary | 0.0206 | 0.1046 | 0.1647 | 0.1676 | 0.1425 |
28 | New Zealand | 0.0166 | 0.1027 | 0.1731 | 0.1341 | 0.1702 |
29 | Slovakia | 0.0233 | 0.0807 | 0.161 | 0.1865 | 0.1417 |
30 | Bulgaria | 0.0308 | 0.1025 | 0.1352 | 0.177 | 0.1452 |
31 | Croatia | 0.0133 | 0.0911 | 0.1625 | 0.1865 | 0.1346 |
32 | Slovenia | 0.0102 | 0.0934 | 0.1619 | 0.1622 | 0.1591 |
33 | Latvia | 0.0235 | 0.0918 | 0.1628 | 0.1784 | 0.1289 |
34 | Romania | 0.0299 | 0.105 | 0.1427 | 0.1743 | 0.1327 |
35 | Australia | 0.0453 | 0.0706 | 0.1755 | 0.1089 | 0.1802 |
36 | Malta | 0.0104 | 0.093 | 0.1639 | 0.1527 | 0.1547 |
37 | Cyprus | 0.0139 | 0.0718 | 0.1589 | 0.1689 | 0.1548 |
38 | Malaysia | 0.0319 | 0.0838 | 0.1636 | 0.1224 | 0.1561 |
39 | Greece | 0.0085 | 0.0713 | 0.142 | 0.2 | 0.1344 |
40 | Chile | 0.0251 | 0.1202 | 0.1469 | 0.1022 | 0.1538 |
41 | Uruguay | 0.0051 | 0.1054 | 0.1569 | 0.13 | 0.1498 |
42 | Russia | 0.0556 | 0.0794 | 0.1512 | 0.0943 | 0.152 |
43 | China | 0.0241 | 0.1045 | 0.1485 | 0.0741 | 0.175 |
44 | U.A.E. | 0.0071 | 0.1148 | 0.1779 | 0.0419 | 0.1712 |
45 | Argentina | 0.0073 | 0.0694 | 0.1575 | 0.13 | 0.1464 |
46 | Qatar | 0.0077 | 0.1077 | 0.1705 | 0.0808 | 0.1421 |
47 | Armenia | 0.1009 | 0.07 | 0.1356 | 0.0765 | 0.1221 |
48 | Serbia | 0.0184 | 0.0739 | 0.1387 | 0.1238 | 0.1429 |
49 | Thailand | 0.0081 | 0.1045 | 0.151 | 0.0876 | 0.1391 |
50 | Ukraine | 0.0259 | 0.0581 | 0.1613 | 0.1184 | 0.1256 |
51 | Saudi Arabia | 0.0057 | 0.0873 | 0.1635 | 0.0865 | 0.1408 |
52 | Turkey | 0.0153 | 0.0679 | 0.1526 | 0.0968 | 0.1488 |
53 | Brazil | 0.0078 | 0.0884 | 0.1388 | 0.0686 | 0.1558 |
54 | Moldova | 0.0357 | 0.0687 | 0.1359 | 0.0927 | 0.1226 |
55 | Philippines | 0.0044 | 0.0779 | 0.1371 | 0.1062 | 0.1265 |
56 | Bahrain | 0.0084 | 0.0878 | 0.166 | 0.047 | 0.1396 |
57 | Colombia | 0.0051 | 0.0775 | 0.1248 | 0.0954 | 0.1433 |
58 | Costa Rica | 0.0042 | 0.0721 | 0.1523 | 0.0954 | 0.1206 |
59 | India | 0.0266 | 0.071 | 0.1149 | 0.0822 | 0.1489 |
60 | N. Macedonia | 0.0095 | 0.0684 | 0.1409 | 0.0981 | 0.1237 |
61 | Kazakhstan | 0.0185 | 0.0639 | 0.1408 | 0.07 | 0.1473 |
62 | Mexico | 0.0111 | 0.0688 | 0.1291 | 0.0792 | 0.142 |
63 | Paraguay | 0.0091 | 0.0724 | 0.1424 | 0.0862 | 0.113 |
64 | Albania | 0.0087 | 0.0567 | 0.1313 | 0.09 | 0.1328 |
65 | Oman | 0.0053 | 0.065 | 0.1455 | 0.0473 | 0.1502 |
66 | South Africa | 0.0198 | 0.0689 | 0.1171 | 0.0778 | 0.1294 |
67 | Georgia | 0.0097 | 0.0577 | 0.1408 | 0.0941 | 0.1103 |
68 | Mauritius | 0.0149 | 0.0459 | 0.1311 | 0.09 | 0.1298 |
69 | Belarus | 0.0224 | 0.068 | 0.1396 | 0.0554 | 0.123 |
70 | Vietnam | 0.0145 | 0.0712 | 0.1396 | 0.0578 | 0.1241 |
71 | Morocco | 0.0068 | 0.0603 | 0.1247 | 0.113 | 0.1004 |
72 | Indonesia | 0.0064 | 0.0639 | 0.1382 | 0.0605 | 0.1342 |
73 | Peru | 0.0037 | 0.069 | 0.126 | 0.0819 | 0.1213 |
74 | Azerbaijan | 0.0093 | 0.0618 | 0.1361 | 0.0592 | 0.1253 |
75 | Montenegro | 0.0149 | 0.0566 | 0.1339 | 0.0765 | 0.1064 |
76 | Bangladesh | 0.024 | 0.0681 | 0.1204 | 0.0703 | 0.1021 |
77 | Tunisia | 0.011 | 0.0484 | 0.1225 | 0.0886 | 0.1142 |
78 | Kenya | 0.0047 | 0.0492 | 0.1391 | 0.0714 | 0.1193 |
79 | Dominican Republic | 0.0047 | 0.0597 | 0.1163 | 0.0754 | 0.1229 |
80 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 0.0127 | 0.0634 | 0.1353 | 0.0697 | 0.0974 |
81 | Panama | 0.0032 | 0.0851 | 0.1279 | 0.05 | 0.1111 |
82 | Ecuador | 0.0045 | 0.0656 | 0.132 | 0.0365 | 0.1256 |
83 | Trinidad and Tobago | 0.0094 | 0.0622 | 0.1277 | 0.0551 | 0.1074 |
84 | Iran | 0.0149 | 0.0585 | 0.1482 | 0.0149 | 0.1113 |
85 | Egypt | 0.0064 | 0.0583 | 0.1098 | 0.0595 | 0.1135 |
86 | Nigeria | 0.0014 | 0.0552 | 0.1187 | 0.0768 | 0.0916 |
87 | Jordan | 0.0048 | 0.0754 | 0.1434 | 0.0297 | 0.0862 |
88 | Ghana | 0.0025 | 0.0531 | 0.0957 | 0.0724 | 0.1091 |
89 | Sri Lanka | 0.0071 | 0.0658 | 0.0943 | 0.0446 | 0.1184 |
90 | Mongolia | 0.015 | 0.059 | 0.135 | 0.0189 | 0.0951 |
91 | Kyrgyzstan | 0.0105 | 0.0603 | 0.0986 | 0.0457 | 0.1074 |
92 | Algeria | 0.005 | 0.0601 | 0.1312 | 0.0551 | 0.0707 |
93 | Bolivia | 0.0051 | 0.0583 | 0.1287 | 0.0324 | 0.0941 |
94 | Nepal | 0.0069 | 0.0684 | 0.1132 | 0.0497 | 0.0762 |
95 | Senegal | 0.0036 | 0.055 | 0.1048 | 0.0603 | 0.0906 |
96 | Pakistan | 0.006 | 0.0616 | 0.0938 | 0.0446 | 0.1015 |
97 | Jamaica | 0.0047 | 0.0584 | 0.113 | 0.0432 | 0.0859 |
98 | Uganda | 0.0007 | 0.0489 | 0.0777 | 0.0768 | 0.0943 |
99 | El Salvador | 0.0028 | 0.0662 | 0.1066 | 0.0257 | 0.0944 |
100 | Ivory Coast | 0.0006 | 0.0465 | 0.0881 | 0.0724 | 0.0869 |
101 | Cambodia | 0.0043 | 0.0631 | 0.1178 | 0.0162 | 0.0831 |
102 | Mali | 0.0011 | 0.0548 | 0.0969 | 0.0603 | 0.0689 |
103 | Namibia | 0.0046 | 0.0517 | 0.0955 | 0.0322 | 0.0899 |
104 | Guatemala | 0.0029 | 0.059 | 0.0877 | 0.0257 | 0.0878 |
105 | Zambia | 0.0034 | 0.0241 | 0.0935 | 0.0781 | 0.0613 |
106 | Botswana | 0.0051 | 0.0523 | 0.0977 | 0.023 | 0.0777 |
107 | Tanzania | 0.0021 | 0.0517 | 0.0813 | 0.0257 | 0.0924 |
108 | Honduras | 0.004 | 0.0675 | 0.0838 | 0.0108 | 0.0861 |
109 | Zimbabwe | 0.0019 | 0.034 | 0.0907 | 0.0362 | 0.0854 |
110 | Angola | 0.0047 | 0.0567 | 0.0576 | 0.0495 | 0.0748 |
111 | Laos | 0.0066 | 0.0489 | 0.0955 | 0.0189 | 0.059 |
112 | Tajikistan | 0.0108 | 0.0485 | 0.073 | 0.0108 | 0.0754 |
113 | Cameroon | 0.0014 | 0.0178 | 0.073 | 0.0338 | 0.0832 |
114 | Mozambique | 0.0021 | 0.0378 | 0.0526 | 0.0295 | 0.0815 |
115 | Ethiopia | 0.0032 | 0.0472 | 0.048 | 0.0338 | 0.0682 |
116 | Yemen | 0.007 | 0.0644 | 0.0479 | 0.0081 | 0.0527 |
117 | Congo DR | 0.0063 | 0.0596 | 0.0446 | 0.0027 | 0.0394 |
Overall, 15 of the top 20 highest-scoring countries were located in Europe, including #2 Denmark and #3 Germany, reflecting the region’s strong scores in electronic infrastructure and security.
In addition to Israel, the Asia region was represented at the top by #8 Japan, #10 South Korea, and #15 Singapore. The only non-Asian and non-European country to make the top 20 was the United States at #12.
GDP’s Impact on Digital Infrastructure
Of the 117 countries that had data available for the index, the majority of the lowest-ranking countries were in Africa or Asia. This includes the bottom five: Cameroon, Mozambique, Ethiopia, Yemen, and DR Congo.
In fact, when the DQL Index was charted against GDP per capita, a clear and unsurprising trend emerges:
As countries have to grapple with limited resources and capital for increasing their digital wellbeing, we can see different priorities emerge. For example. many countries scored poorly on internet affordability and electronic government while prioritizing investments in internet quality and electronic infrastructure.
And despite the proliferation of mobile phones across the world, more countries were able to set up stable broadband internet over mobile internet.
To find out more interesting insights, dive in to the full Digital Quality of Life Index.

This article was published as a part of Visual Capitalist's Creator Program, which features data-driven visuals from some of our favorite Creators around the world.
Technology
Nvidia Joins the Trillion Dollar Club
America’s biggest chipmaker Nvidia has joined the trillion dollar club as advancements in AI move at lightning speed.

Nvidia Joins the Trillion Dollar Club
Chipmaker Nvidia is now worth nearly as much as Amazon.
America’s largest semiconductor company has vaulted past the $1 trillion market capitalization mark, a milestone reached by just a handful of companies including Apple, Amazon, and Microsoft. While many of these are household names, Nvidia has only recently gained widespread attention amid the AI boom.
The above graphic compares Nvidia to the seven companies that have reached the trillion dollar club.
Riding the AI Wave
Nvidia’s market cap has more than doubled in 2023 to over $1 trillion.
The company designs semiconductor chips that are made of silicon slices that contain specific patterns. Just like you flip an electrical switch by turning on a light at home, these chips have billions of switches that process complex information simultaneously.
Today, they are integral to many AI functions—from OpenAI’s ChatGPT to image generation. Here’s how Nvidia stands up against companies that have achieved the trillion dollar milestone:
Joined Club | Market Cap in trillions | Peak Market Cap in trillions |
|
---|---|---|---|
Apple | Aug 2018 | $2.78 | $2.94 |
Microsoft | Apr 2019 | $2.47 | $2.58 |
Aramco | Dec 2019 | $2.06 | $2.45 |
Alphabet | Jul 2020 | $1.58 | $1.98 |
Amazon | Apr 2020 | $1.25 | $1.88 |
Meta | Jun 2021 | $0.68 | $1.07 |
Tesla | Oct 2021 | $0.63 | $1.23 |
Nvidia | May 2023 | $1.02 | $1.02 |
Note: Market caps as of May 30th, 2023
After posting record sales, the company added $184 billion to its market value in one day. Only two other companies have exceeded this number: Amazon ($191 billion), and Apple ($191 billion).
As Nvidia’s market cap reaches new heights, many are wondering if its explosive growth will continue—or if the AI craze is merely temporary. There are cases to be made on both sides.
Bull Case Scenario
Big tech companies are racing to develop capabilities like OpenAI. These types of generative AI require vastly higher amounts of computing power, especially as they become more sophisticated.
Many tech giants, including Google and Microsoft use Nvidia chips to power their AI operations. Consider how Google plans to use generative AI in six products in the future. Each of these have over 2 billion users.
Nvidia has also launched new products days since its stratospheric rise, spanning from robotics to gaming. Leading the way is the A100, a powerful graphics processing unit (GPU) well-suited for machine learning. Additionally, it announced a new supercomputer platform that Google, Microsoft, and Meta are first in line for. Overall, 65,000 companies globally use the company’s chips for a wide range of functions.
Bear Case Scenario
While extreme investor optimism has launched Nvidia to record highs, how do some of its fundamental valuations stack up to other giants?
As the table below shows, its price to earnings (P/E) ratio is second-only to Amazon, at 214.4. This shows how much a shareholder pays compared to the earnings of a company. Here, the company’s share price is over 200 times its earnings on a per share basis.
P/E Ratio | Net Profit Margin (Annual) | |
---|---|---|
Apple | 30.2 | 25.3% |
Microsoft | 36.1 | 36.7% |
Aramco | 13.5 | 26.4% |
Alphabet | 28.2 | 21.2% |
Amazon | 294.2 | -0.5% |
Meta | 33.9 | 19.9% |
Tesla | 59.0 | 15.4% |
Nvidia | 214.4 | 16.19% |
Consider how this looks for revenue of Nvidia compared to other big tech names:
$NVDA $963 billion market cap, 38x Revenue
$MSFT $2.5 trillion market cap, 12x Revenue$TSLA $612 billion market cap, 7.8x Revenue$AAPL $2.75 trillion market cap, 7.3x Revenue$GOOG $1.6 trillion market cap, 6.1x Revenue$META $672 billion market cap, 6x Revenue pic.twitter.com/VgkKAfiydx— Martin Pelletier (@MPelletierCIO) May 29, 2023
For some, Nvidia’s valuation seems unrealistic even in spite of the prospects of AI. While Nvidia has $11 billion in projected revenue for the next quarter, it would still mean significantly higher multiples than its big tech peers. This suggests the company is overvalued at current prices.
Nvidia’s Growth: Will it Last?
This is not the first time Nvidia’s market cap has rocketed up.
During the crypto rally of 2021, its share price skyrocketed over 100% as demand for its GPUs increased. These specialist chips help mine cryptocurrency, and a jump in demand led to a shortage of chips at the time.
As cryptocurrencies lost their lustre, Nvidia’s share price sank over 46% the following year.
By comparison, AI advancements could have more transformative power. Big tech is rushing to partner with Nvidia, potentially reshaping everything from search to advertising.
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