2018 Global Connectivity Index

Welcome to Huawei GCI 2018

Tap into New Growth with
Intelligent Connectivity

Mapping your transformation into a digital economy with GCI 2018

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Latest Related Publication

Digital Spillover

Measuring the true impact of the digital economy

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Latest Related Publication

SDG Benchmark

Accelerating Sustainable Development Goals through ICT

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GCI 2018

Digital Spillover Report

SDG report

Country Comparison
Digital Economy Heat Map

The GCI S-curve is a visual representation of 79 nations’ path to the digital economy and the relationship between GCI score and GDP. The countries are shown in three clusters – Starters, Adopters and Frontrunners - based on GCI score and GDP per capita. Combined, these countries account for 95 percent of global GDP.

Viewing the heat map allows you to quickly find your nations’ progress in digital transformation and compare that status with others.

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Rankings Table
Top 10 Countries

79 nations are ranked annually based on their latest GCI scores, which indicates their Digital Economy performance. Following, see the 10 leaders among the 79 countries tracked this year.

RANK

COUNTRY

SCORE

United States

Singapore

Sweden

Switzerland

United Kingdom

Finland

Denmark

Netherlands

Norway

101

Japan

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Digital Economy Journey:

The GCI S-Curve

Placing GCI with GDP

The GCI S-curve shows the digital economy journey of our nations through the relationship between GCI score and GDP. Big investors at the top of the S-curve should also show significantly stronger GDP per capita than those at the bottom of the S-curve.

Nations need to ensure adequate investment and development in the five core technologies covered by the GCI scoring – Broadband, Data Center, Cloud, Big Data and the IoT – and measured by 40 GCI indicators.

Chart 1:
New Economic Cycle

Chart 2:
S-curve

Chart 3:
Growing Inequality

Intelligent Connectivity creates a new economic growth cycle

The 2018 GCI S-curve shows the impact of five enabler technologies on economic growth, delivering a value of US$12.9 trillion for the digital economy – or 17.1% of global GDP. The outstanding performance of the digital economy in its current form is mainly attributable to a consumer-driven internet.

The next wave of dramatic growth in the digital economy will come from industrial digitalization. The digital transformation of industry aims to create more integrated connections between all things, machines, and people in industrial settings. Full transformation of industry will be built on Intelligent Connectivity, designed specifically to support better business outcomes.

Powered by Intelligent Connectivity, industries across the board can tap into unprecedented growth opportunities. On average, if all countries increase their investment in ICT Infrastructure by 8% every year (CAGR), it will produce US$23 trillion in new economic potential by 2025, breathing new life into the S-curve for all economies.

Accelerate economic growth by building a robust ICT infrastructure

The 79 nations ranked in this year's GCI are plotted along an S-curve, illustrating the relationship between GCI score and each nation’s GDP. Along this curve, there are three clusters of nations, indicating different stages of ICT maturity: Starters, Adopters, and Frontrunners.

After a country's GCI score reaches 35 points, their ROI for ICT infrastructure will experience a strong multiplier effect. Some Starters such as Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon and Vietnam are close to this tipping point. If they continue to enhance their ICT infrastructure by expanding and improving broadband connectivity, they will put themselves on the fast track to Adopter status. This will give them greater returns on their ongoing investment in ICT infrastructure.

Growth and optimism in the midst of inequality

A trend first discussed in the GCI 2017 – the "Matthew Effect," describes how accumulated advantage produces unbalanced benefits. Essentially, countries with a buildup of deployment in ICT infrastructure – the "haves" – receive far more benefits than the "have nots," and over time they leverage that initial advantage to pull even farther ahead. This trend remains true and shows signs of growing more pronounced in 2018.

GCI 2018 Insights

In 2018, Intelligent Connectivity will usher in a new wave of innovation and deliver enormous economic benefits to all countries and industry sectors.

Intelligent Connectivity will unleash a new wave of innovation and economic activity to shape an estimated digital economy value of $23 trillion by 2025, which will be widely available to manufacturing, government services, utilities, and many other industries.

OUR POINT OF VIEW: INTELLIGENT MANUFACTURING

Connect the dots along the value chain with the sector expected
to reach a value of $6.4 trillion by 2025

Read the analysis

OUR POINT OF VIEW: INTELLIGENT GOVERNMENT

Optimize efficiency, management and service delivery
to foster economic growth of $2.9 trillion by 2025

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OUR POINT OF VIEW: INTELLIGENT UTILITIES

Allocate resources more efficiently with the industry forecast
to reach $0.5 trillion by 2025

Read the analysis

Industry Impact

The next wave of dramatic growth in the digital economy will come from industrial digitalization. By leveraging intelligent technologies, traditional industries will be well-positioned to maximize their digital spillover and contribute more to the overall digital economy.

The following are use case scenarios that provide insights into the practical value that AI-powered Intelligent Connectivity provides for manufacturing, government and utilities. These scenarios’ plot actions that nations at each level along the GCI S-curve can take – Frontrunners, Adopters and Starters – as well as projections for scenarios that we can expect to see in the more distant future.

Intelligent
Manufacturing

Redefine manufacturing ecosystems to enhance productivity and mitigate supply chain risks

Intelligent
Government

Smarter government operations and processes to improve efficiency and services delivery

Intelligent
Utilities

Smart diagnostics and prognostics to deliver power when and where it’s needed

Intelligent Connectivity can trigger innovation on a scale previously unknown. New business models and applications arising from Intelligent Connectivity will change the way business is run, how products and services are consumed, and drive expansion of the digital economy.

How does your
country rank?

Select from the dropdown menu to view your country’s GCI profile.