The UK is ahead of the rest of the G7 countries in terms of digital connectivity readiness, according to a new report from Edinburgh-based FarrPoint.

The report, International Digital Connectivity Readiness Index, measures performance across both digital infrastructure – such as broadband, gigabit, 4G, and 5G connectivity – and digital adoption, which includes metrics like digital skills, online security, access to public services, affordability, and innovation.

According to FarrPoint’s digital economics team, the UK tops the new index, with the US and Germany sharing second place on the overall readiness score.

Canada, Japan, and France share fourth place, with Italy coming last overall.

The UK had a score of 84, while the US and Germany both had scores of 83, showing a narrow difference in terms of digital readiness.

However, there were many gaps in the UK’s readiness levels. While it excelled at decent fixed connectivity (93)and 4G connectivity (95) and the digital economy (92) and accessible public services (92), it lagged in terms of innovation (79), online security (73), and online wellbeing (72) and 5G connectivity (68).

While the UK showed strong overall performance, with no scores dipping below 68, it was outperformed by Japan in gigabit connectivity (100 vs 76) and their overall infrastructure (94 vs 86).

The UK was unable to achieve a score of 100 in any of the categories, while every country besides Italy was able to achieve this score in at least one category.

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Canada, France, and Germany, and the US had a score of 100 in 4G connectivity, while the UK was still 5 points shy.

While certain scores stagnated since the last year, all of the UK’s scores either stayed the same of showed at least small signs of improvement.

“Our International Digital Connectivity Readiness Index report underscores the vital role digital connectivity plays in driving economic growth, social progress, and environmental sustainability”, says Matthew Izatt-Lowry, FarrPoint’s head of economics.

“As the global economy increasingly relies on digital infrastructure, understanding the unique challenges and opportunities of each country is paramount for policymakers to make informed, evidence-based decisions.”