Pakistan has dropped 14 spots to the 97th position in the Digital Quality of Life (DQL) Index 2021. The country ranks 28th among 32 Asian countries on this year’s list.
According to DQL Index 2021, the three areas where the country performed the best are mobile speed growth, broadband speed growth, and mobile affordability.
Pakistan ranked 41st in mobile speed growth, 43rd in broadband speed growth, and 48th in mobile affordability.
The three areas where the country performed the worst are broadband speed, number of internet users, and network readiness.
Pakistan ranked 108th in broadband speed, 106th in the number of internet users, and 102nd in network readiness.
Let’s have a closer look at Pakistan’s scorecard of each pillar in the DQL Index 2021.
Internet Affordability
Pakistan ranked 66th in internet affordability in the DQL Index 2021. Here is a further breakdown of the country’s performance in this area.
| Indicator | Rank |
| Mobile affordability | 48th |
| Broad affordability | 68th |
Internet Quality
Pakistan ranked 74th in internet quality in the DQL Index 2021. Here is a further breakdown of the country’s performance in this area.
| Indicator | Rank |
| Mobile speed | 97th |
| Broadband speed | 108th |
| Mobile internet stability | 60th |
| Broadband internet stability | 53rd |
| Mobile speed improvement | 41st |
| Broadband speed improvement | 43rd |
Electronic Infrastructure
Pakistan ranked 106th in electronic infrastructure in the DQL Index 2021. Here is a further breakdown of the country’s performance in this area.
| Indicator | Rank |
| Internet users | 106th |
| Network readiness | 102nd |
Electronic Security
Pakistan ranked 98th in electronic security in the DQL Index 2021. Here is a further breakdown of the country’s performance in this area.
| Indicator | Rank |
| Cybersecurity | 67th |
| Data protection laws | Moderate |
Electronic Government
Pakistan ranked 85th in electronic government in the DQL Index 2021. Here is a further breakdown of the country’s performance in this area.
| Indicator | Rank |
| Online service index | 77th |
| AI readiness | 93rd |
The DQL Index is compiled by Surfshark, a Netherlands cybersecurity company, to highlight factors that impact a country’s digital wellbeing the most and which areas should be prioritized to improve it.
This is the third edition of the DQL Index which offers a unique understanding of the overall digital quality of life of 110 countries based on five core pillars. These five pillars are internet affordability, internet quality, electronic infrastructure, electronic security, and electronic government.
Let’s have a look at the top 10 countries in the DQL Index 2021.
| Country | Rank |
| Denmark | 1st |
| South Korea | 2nd |
| Finland | 3rd |
| Israel | 4th |
| US | 5th |
| Singapore | 6th |
| France | 7th |
| Switzerland | 8th |
| Germany | 9th |
| UK | 10th |
Let’s have a look at the 5 best and 5 worst countries across each pillar.
Internet Affordability
| Most affordable internet | Least affordable internet |
| Denmark | Ghana |
| Israel | Nigeria |
| Sri Lanka | Cameroon |
| Finland | Ivory Coast |
| Lithuania | Mali |
Internet Quality
| Best quality internet | Worst quality internet |
| South Korea | Mauritius |
| UAE | Mongolia |
| China | Kenya |
| Switzerland | Angola |
| US | Ethiopia |
Electronic Infrastructure
| Most developed e-infrastructure | Least developed e-infrastructure |
| Denmark | Pakistan |
| Sweden | Tajikistan |
| Norway | Cameroon |
| Netherlands | Angola |
| US | Ethiopia |
Electronic Security
| Highest e-security | Lowest e-security |
| Greece | Egypt |
| Czech Republic | Ethiopia |
| Estonia | Cameroon |
| Lithuania | Guatemala |
| Spain | Cambodia |
Electronic Government
| Most developed e-government | Least developed e-government |
| US | Mali |
| South Korea | Ethiopia |
| UK | Algeria |
| Finland | Zambia |
| Singapore | Laos |