- 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