U.S. Tech Use Lagging, WEF Finds

The U.S. is not winning at the technology game, according to a new report by the World Economic Forum.

America comes in fifth on the 2010 survey of 138 countries, behind Sweden, which ranked number one, and Singapore, Finland and Switzerland. The WEF measured aspects of technology usage including business and regulatory climates for IT development and interest in and use of technology by the government, individuals, and businesses.

On the whole, Europe came out on top, with 11 countries in the top 20, including strong performances by Nordic countries--besides Sweden at number one, and Finland at number three, Denmark and Norway also both made the top ten at seventh and ninth. Asian countries also continued to do well, with China holding steady at 36th, and India dropping down to 48th.

The situation is less positive in Latin America, where no country makes the top twenty. Of those countries, Chile, at 39th, holds the highest position, In sub-Saharan Africa, most of the area appears in the bottom half of the rankings, while Libya dropped a shocking 23 places down to 126th.

The U.S.'s lag behind the top four was found to be tied to economic competitiveness, measured with information including cell phone subscriptions, and percentage of households with personal computers. However, the U.S. did well in usage categories, which the WEF attributed to the academic excellence of national institutions and the innovative capacity of big businesses. The government's Internet services ranked second in the world.