Sweden Swipes Web-Savviest Rank

The power of 4.5 million active Internet users propelled Sweden to the top of the list of “Web-savviest nations,” overtaking the titleholder for three consecutive years – the United States.

According to the survey of 60 countries conducted by IBM and the intelligence unit of The Economist, Sweden scored a 8.67 out of a possible 10 points – up from 8.32 – in the annual “E-Readiness Rankings,” while the U.S. dropped to number three with 8.43 points – on par with the Netherlands and Britain. Denmark squeezed in between the Swedes and the Americans at number two.

“E-readiness” criteria spans a wide range, from telephone penetration to online security to intellectual property protection, translating into whether a country’s business environment is conducive to Internet-based commercial opportunities. Covering the world’s largest markets, the rankings aim to provide a useful guide for companies seeking to invest in technology-savvy countries, as well as governments looking to reap the benefits of the digital age.

The survey found small differences among the top 14 countries, all scoring more than eight points as a result of plentiful cheap Internet connections, software and technical support, legal and government frameworks and populations.

“Northwest Europe, North America and Australia are at virtually similar levels,” said Peter Korsten, European executive director at IBM’s Institute for Business Value.

Absent from the top 15 were France an Italy, which were clearly second league in “connectivity” and “consumer and business adoption”. “They’re laggards and that’s a bit scary,” Korsten said.

South Korea jumped from 21^nd to 16^th place, overtaking France, Italy, Taiwan, New Zealand and Belgium, as it boasts the world’s highest percentage of high-speed Web households. Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan were at the bottom of the list with 2.37 and 2.52 points respectively.

In a 2002 study conducted by Taylor Nelson Sofres (TNS), Sweden ranked highest for online government usage, followed by Norway, Singapore, and Denmark.

Sweden’s Top Properties, February 2003, Home and Work Property Name Unique Audience Reach Time Per Person MSN 2,672,000 58.66% 00:30:50 Eniro 1,780,000 39.07% 00:14:47 Microsoft 1,720,000 37.76% 00:06:17 TeliaSonera 1,660,000 36.43% 00:41:10 Bonnierförlagen 1,517,000 33.31% 00:24:31 Aftonbladet Hierta 1,461,000 32.07% 00:45:02 FöreningsSparbanken 1,325,000 29.09% 00:48:59 Lycos Network 1,285,000 28.20% 00:26:30 Google 1,162,000 25.50% 00:12:17 Counties of Sweden 1,142,000 25.06% 00:11:32 Yahoo 1,028,000 22.57% 00:22:33 TV4 1,013,000 22.23% 00:18:14 Universities of Sweden 980,000 21.51% 00:28:47 LunarWorks 950,000 20.86% 01:42:47 AOL Time Warner 826,000 18.13% 00:08:24 Swedish IP Network 824,000 18.10% 00:03:57 AltaVista 819,000 17.99% 00:08:49 Telenor 773,000 16.97% 00:09:28 Nordea 757,000 16.62% 00:47:50 The Gator Corporation 651,000 14.29% 00:23:00 Arbetsmarknadsstyrelsen 610,000 13.40% 00:24:39 Blocket 601,000 13.19% 00:47:30 Sveriges Television 581,000 12.75% 00:09:56 Novamedia 525,000 11.53% 00:06:20 Sharman Networks 474,000 10.40% 00:13:35 Source: Nielsen//NetRatings

Sweden’s Top Advertisers, February 2003, Home and Work Advertiser Name Impressions Reach MSN 161,906,000 54.71% Telia 97,422,000 48.06% ADTECH 63,726,000 14.17% Ikanobanken 41,225,000 18.05% Lunarstorm 38,673,000 19.87% Dell 34,843,000 41.17% Carambole 32,750,000 30.70% B-one 29,780,000 19.03% Eniro 29,384,000 41.18% Arla 26,523,000 29.53% Goyada 25,374,000 29.59% Wasa Kredit 24,479,000 3.38% Pricerunner 22,862,000 2.79% Nordea 22,125,000 26.87% Blocket 16,414,000 13.40% Nationalencyklopedin 15,848,000 13.46% Halebop 15,462,000 12.06% Qbrick 12,948,000 4.11% Autobytel 12,883,000 15.12% Spray 12,674,000 14.27% Svenska Spel 11,718,000 26.97% Internet 5 11,554,000 4.14% Medrek 11,246,000 8.73% GlobalEPanel.com 11,060,000 10.55% Hoppets Stjärna 9,849,000 9.80% Source: Nielsen//NetRatings

Swedens Average Web Usage, February 2003, Home and Work
Number of Sessions Per Month	20
Number of Domains Visited Per Month	43
Time Spent Per Month	09:43:00
Time Spent During Surfing Session	00:28:46
Duration of a Page Viewed	00:00:42
Active Internet Universe	4,555,460
Current Internet Universe Estimate	6,670,931
Source: Nielsen//NetRatings