UNCTAD · Frontier Technology Readiness Index
Frontier technology readiness by country
How ready is a country to use, adopt and adapt frontier technologies such as artificial intelligence?
United States placed first of the 170 countries compared in 2023, at 1.0000, and Sierra Leone last, at 0.0000. In the middle country the figure was 0.4849. Among the 168 countries measured in every edition since 2010, the middle one moved from 0.4659 to 0.4871.
Frontier technology readiness · 2023
Context statistic
Highest of 170United States
1.0000012023 · position · derived
Who leads
The three countries at the highest end of 170 compared, the three at the other end, and the first on each continent.
1Photo: Stefano Brivio · CC BY 2.0, greyscale
2Photo: User:Pieter Kuiper · Public domain, greyscale
3Photo: © User:Colin / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0, greyscale
Lowest in 2023
- 170
Sierra Leone0.0000 - 169
South Sudan0.0191 - 168
Burundi0.0813
Positions out of 170. Where a country sits says how it compares with the others measured, and nothing about why.
Highest on each continent
- Africa
South Africa0.6459 - AmericasUnited States1.0000
- Asia
Singapore0.9423 - Europe
Sweden0.9726 - Oceania
Australia0.8687 - Every region
02Every measured country
Frontier technology readiness on a map
Each country is shaded by its value, in five groups holding the same number of countries. Hover a country for its value, or select it to open its profile. Below the map, each continent’s middle country.
Darker is a higher value — the better end.
- 0.0000–0.2510
- 0.2558–0.3978
- 0.4037–0.5534
- 0.5557–0.7400
- 0.7419–1.0000
- No reading in 2023 (1 measured in an earlier edition)
- Europe
0.7694
the middle country, of 39 measured · 49 members
Sweden0.9726
Albania0.4468Highest and lowest reading in Europe.
- Asia
0.5253
the middle country, of 45 measured · 52 members
Singapore0.9423
Afghanistan0.1083Highest and lowest reading in Asia.
- Americas
0.4326
the middle country, of 30 measured · 48 members
United States1.0000
Haiti0.1914Highest and lowest reading in Americas.
- Oceania
0.3495
the middle country, of 6 measured · 21 members
Australia0.8687
Papua New Guinea0.2188Highest and lowest reading in Oceania.
- Africa
0.2348
the middle country, of 50 measured · 55 members
South Africa0.6459Sierra Leone0.0000Highest and lowest reading in Africa.
- Every region
20 sub-regions, highest middle country first
- Western Europe
0.9028
the middle country, of 7 measured · 9 members
Netherlands0.9532
Austria0.8058Highest and lowest reading in Western Europe.
- Northern Europe
0.8604
the middle country, of 10 measured · 13 members
Sweden0.9726
Latvia0.7197Highest and lowest reading in Northern Europe.
- Eastern Asia
0.8436
the middle country, of 5 measured · 8 members
South Korea0.9260
Mongolia0.4241Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Asia.
- Eastern Europe
0.7085
the middle country, of 10 measured · 10 members
Poland0.7830
Moldova0.5395Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Europe.
- Southern Europe
0.6979
the middle country, of 12 measured · 17 members
Spain0.8375Albania0.4468Highest and lowest reading in Southern Europe.
- Western Asia
0.5546
the middle country, of 16 measured · 19 members
Israel0.8860
Yemen0.1112Highest and lowest reading in Western Asia.
- South-eastern Asia
0.5253
the middle country, of 11 measured · 11 members
Singapore0.9423
Timor-Leste0.2421Highest and lowest reading in South-eastern Asia.
- South America
0.4731
the middle country, of 12 measured · 12 members
Brazil0.7365
Suriname0.3235Highest and lowest reading in South America.
- Northern Africa
0.4663
the middle country, of 6 measured · 6 members
Morocco0.5629
Sudan0.1144Highest and lowest reading in Northern Africa.
- Caribbean
0.4138
the middle country, of 8 measured · 24 members
Barbados0.6179Haiti0.1914Highest and lowest reading in Caribbean.
- Southern Asia
0.4134
the middle country, of 9 measured · 9 members
India0.7388Afghanistan0.1083Highest and lowest reading in Southern Asia.
- Southern Africa
0.3898
the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members
South Africa0.6459
Lesotho0.2474Highest and lowest reading in Southern Africa.
- Central America
0.3873
the middle country, of 8 measured · 8 members
Mexico0.6288
Honduras0.3230Highest and lowest reading in Central America.
- Middle Africa
0.2589
the middle country, of 8 measured · 9 members
Gabon0.3193
Chad0.0985Highest and lowest reading in Middle Africa.
- Western Africa
0.2108
the middle country, of 16 measured · 16 members
Ghana0.3959Sierra Leone0.0000Highest and lowest reading in Western Africa.
- Eastern Africa
0.1964
the middle country, of 15 measured · 19 members
Mauritius0.5319South Sudan0.0191Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Africa.
- Australia and New Zealand
2 of 2 measured — too few for a middle: Australia, New Zealand.
Australia0.8687
New Zealand0.8187Highest and lowest reading in Australia and New Zealand.
- Central Asia
4 of 5 measured — too few for a middle: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan.
Kazakhstan0.5813
Tajikistan0.1672Highest and lowest reading in Central Asia.
- Melanesia
4 of 5 measured — too few for a middle: Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu.
Fiji0.4277Papua New Guinea0.2188Highest and lowest reading in Melanesia.
- Northern America
2 of 4 measured — too few for a middle: Canada, United States.
United States1.0000
Canada0.8947Highest and lowest reading in Northern America.
03The whole field at once
The spread
170 countries, one dot each, on one scale — further right is a higher value. Half the countries are above 0.4849; a quarter are above 0.7138, and a quarter below 0.3132. The bar in each row marks that continent’s middle country.
04All 171 ever measured
Every country
In order, highest value first. “=” marks a position shared with another country. UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) ranks nobody on this measure; the position is derived here by ordering the published values. A 0 is the last place in that year's field, not an absence of technology: the scale is stretched between the leader and the last country each year. UNCTAD advises comparing positions rather than values, and its report prints a rank for the newest year; the position here is derived by ordering the score.
Showing 25 of 171 countries
Values for 2023. The change column compares 2023 with 2022 only; the sparkline covers the recent editions.
052010–2023 · 14 reference years
Over time
Each point is one year from 2010. The index is rescaled every year so that the leader reads 1 and the last country 0, which means a flat line is a country holding its place relative to the others, not standing still.
- the middle country
- the middle half of countries
- the middle of the 168 countries measured every time
- each continent’s middle country
The same, year by year
| Year | Countries | Middle country | Middle half | Measured every time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 170 | 0.4849 | 0.3132 – 0.7138 | 0.4871 |
| 2022 | 170 | 0.4798 | 0.3267 – 0.7048 | 0.4836 |
| 2021 | 171 | 0.4722 | 0.3159 – 0.6857 | 0.4795 |
| 2020 | 171 | 0.4898 | 0.3379 – 0.6984 | 0.5000 |
| 2019 | 171 | 0.4829 | 0.3322 – 0.6958 | 0.4877 |
| 2018 | 171 | 0.4827 | 0.3530 – 0.7078 | 0.4871 |
| 2017 | 171 | 0.4367 | 0.2914 – 0.6799 | 0.4398 |
| 2016 | 171 | 0.5136 | 0.3616 – 0.7166 | 0.5150 |
| 2015 | 171 | 0.4213 | 0.2488 – 0.6699 | 0.4242 |
| 2014 | 171 | 0.3947 | 0.2364 – 0.6567 | 0.4038 |
| 2013 | 171 | 0.4627 | 0.2992 – 0.6985 | 0.4821 |
| 2012 | 171 | 0.4693 | 0.3352 – 0.7012 | 0.4828 |
| 2011 | 169 | 0.4992 | 0.3434 – 0.7012 | 0.5016 |
| 2010 | 169 | 0.4652 | 0.3321 – 0.6856 | 0.4659 |
062022 → 2023
Who rose and fell
The biggest changes in value between the two newest editions — reference years recalculated in one report, not two separate publications. Places are shown second, because they also move when other countries do.
Improved most
before → after
Slovakia0.6916 → 0.7419 · 47th → 34th+0.0503
China0.7895 → 0.8393 · 27th → 21st+0.0498
North Macedonia0.5592 → 0.6023 · 68th → 63rd+0.0431
Bosnia and Herzegovina0.4669 → 0.5058 · 89th → 81st+0.0389- Timor-Leste0.2039 → 0.2421 · 150th → 139th+0.0382
170 countries were measured in both 2022 and 2023.
07Across every edition
Frontier technology readiness in records
The extremes of the statistic. A record reached by more than one country names none of them.
Highest reading on record
Reached 14 times by 4 countries — shared, so no holder is named
1.0000
Frontier Technology Readiness Index (0–1)
UNCTAD · 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
Lowest reading on record
Reached 12 times by 2 countries — shared, so no holder is named
0.0000
Frontier Technology Readiness Index (0–1)
UNCTAD · 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
Biggest improvement between editions
+0.1800
0.2032 → 0.3832
Biggest decline between editions
−0.1777
0.3401 → 0.1624
Most improved since first measured
+0.1814
0.1314 → 0.3128
At the top most often
8 of 14
editions, alone at the first-listed end
08The parts of the index
Inside the number
UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) publishes the parts the headline is built from. Each part’s highest and lowest country, and its middle value.
| Part | Highest | Lowest | Middle country |
|---|---|---|---|
| ICT deployment170 countries |  Iceland1.0000 | Burundi0.0000 | 0.6820 |
| Skills170 countries | Australia1.0000 | South Sudan0.0000 | 0.4500 |
| Research and development170 countries | China1.0000 | 10 countries share 0.0000 | 0.2620 |
| Industry activity170 countries |  Ireland1.0000 |  Bhutan0.0000 | 0.4455 |
| Access to finance170 countries |  Hong Kong1.0000 | Sierra Leone0.0000 | 0.8293 |
09The measure
About frontier technology readiness
UNCTAD's Frontier Technology Readiness Index measures how ready a country is to use, adopt and adapt frontier technologies such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things and blockchain. It combines five building blocks — ICT infrastructure, skills, research and patenting, high-tech industry and access to finance — into one score from 0 to 1.
What the number is: Frontier Technology Readiness Index (0–1).
What it does not measure
It measures the capacity to take up new technology — infrastructure, skills, research, industry and finance — not how widely it is actually used, and it is rescaled every year, so it shows a country's place among others rather than absolute progress.
10Where it fits
Connections
Its part in the Country Index, the statistics whose values line up most closely with it across countries, and others on the same subject.
In the Country Index
Context, with no vote
This statistic is published in full under Economy & Innovation and Digital & Technology, but does not help decide any Country Index standing.
Economy & InnovationDigital & TechnologyWhich statistics vote, and why
Moves with
Where frontier technology readiness is higher, these tend to be higher too.
- Global Innovation IndexWorld Intellectual Property Organization · 138 countries in commonρ 0.96
- Human Development IndexKeyUNDP Human Development Report Office · 170 countries in commonρ 0.94
- Productive Capacities IndexUNCTAD · 170 countries in commonρ 0.93
Moves against
Where frontier technology readiness is higher, these tend to be lower.
- Gender Inequality IndexUNDP Human Development Report Office · 165 countries in commonρ −0.89
- Stillbirth RateUN IGME · 169 countries in commonρ −0.89
- Informal Employment RateILO · 86 countries in commonρ −0.89
Rank correlation (ρ, from −1 to 1) across countries, on each statistic’s newest edition, out of 308 statistics sharing at least 80 countries with this one. Two statistics that move together do not cause each other.
11Keep reading
Explore further
The subject
The countries at either end
12Questions
Frontier technology readiness: questions and answers
Which country has the highest frontier technology readiness?
United States, at 1.0000, among the 170 countries compared in 2023.
Which country has the lowest frontier technology readiness?
Sierra Leone, at 0.0000, among the 170 countries compared in 2023.
How many countries does the Frontier Technology Readiness Index cover?
170 in 2023, and 171 at least once across all editions. The number measured varies from 169 to 171 between editions.
What is the world average frontier technology readiness?
This site does not calculate a world average, which would depend on how countries are weighted. In the middle country of the 170 compared in 2023, the figure was 0.4849.
Is this UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD)’s own ranking?
No. UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) publishes the values but ranks nobody; the position on this page is derived by Nations Inquiry by ordering the published values, and equal values share a position.
How often is the Frontier Technology Readiness Index published?
This site holds 14 reference years, 2010–2023, all recalculated in UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD)’s 2025 report on one method — not 14 separate publications.
Where does the data come from, and can I download it?
From UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD), under CC BY 3.0 IGO. Read from UNCTAD's own US.FTRI bulk file on UNCTADstat, the data behind the Technology and Innovation Report. Rows of UNCTAD's file that repeat another country's numbers exactly are left out; every other value is stored as published, with the five building blocks beside the headline. Every edition is on this site’s Datasets pages as a full table, and downloads as a CSV file with every value unrounded.
13Method
Sources, method and citation
Source
Frontier Technology Readiness Index — UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
Read from UNCTAD's own US.FTRI bulk file on UNCTADstat, the data behind the Technology and Innovation Report. Rows of UNCTAD's file that repeat another country's numbers exactly are left out; every other value is stored as published, with the five building blocks beside the headline.
Newest edition
Report year 2023Data year 2023
Cite the source as: UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD). Frontier technology readiness index, annual. Geneva: UNCTAD Data Hub; Technology and Innovation Report 2025.
Licence: CC BY 3.0 IGO, checked 2026-09-29.
How this page reads the numbers
- UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) ranks nobody on this measure. The position is derived by Nations Inquiry by ordering the published values; equal values share a position.
- Which end is better follows the publisher’s own reading of the measure.
- A country is named at an end only when it holds that value alone. Where several share it, the page says how many and names none first.
- Values are stored exactly as published and trimmed only for display. “The middle country” is the median of the countries measured, not a world average.
The file itself, column by column — where it came from, what each column holds, and every edition as a CSV — is on its dataset page.
Photographs
The countries at the top of this statistic, from their profiles: Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale, each used under the licence named.
- United States — Stefano Brivio, CC BY 2.0
- Sweden — User:Pieter Kuiper, Public domain
- United Kingdom — © User:Colin / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). Frontier technology readiness by country: Frontier Technology Readiness Index, data from UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD). https://nationsinquiry.com/statistics/frontier-technology-readiness