Congratulations Singapore, we’re the most online city in the world.
According to global management consulting firm A.T. Kearney’s Global Cities 2017 Report, Singapore was ranked as the city with the highest online presence in the world.
Based on information and data gathered from 128 cities, the report measures the current performance of cities via the Global Cities Index, and uses the Global Cities Outlook to determine their potential.
The Global Cities Index front is where Singapore scored the top spot. To elaborate, the Index measures a city’s performance via business activity, human capital, information exchange, cultural experience and political engagement
Under the criteria of information exchange, Singapore clinched the top spot of possessing an online presence.
Overall, the Index ranked Singapore as 6th in the world with a score of 39.1, which is higher than significantly larger cities like Washington DC, Chicago and Berlin.
No Surprise
The news comes as little surprise to tech-savvy Singapore, which has 4,699,204 internet users (as of 2016). In fact, in 2014, a research conducted by Tata Communications revealed that Singaporeans were one of the most internet-addicted people in the world.
This makes a lot of sense, seeing as to how most of Singapore’s controversies or news these days emerge online.
Singapore’s high mobile phone penetration rate – one of the highest in the world – also contributes to this. Take a ride on any MRT train and you’re bound to see the typical Singaporean glued to their smartphone.
As such, with the convenience and accessibility of the internet, Singaporeans virtually live online. It’s no wonder that Singapore leads the Asia Pacific Region in terms of online spending as well.
Excellent Potential
On top of our strong performance, the report lauded Singapore’s strong potential in its Global Cities Outlook performance.
With a score of 55.6, Singapore jumped 6 places to be ranked 11th in the world.
In addition, Singapore tied with Zurich, Sydney, Melbourne and Geneva to receive the top spot in the area of governance.
As a result, the report lists Singapore as part of the global elite, an honour which recognises countries that are ranked in the top 25 of both the Global Cities Index and the Global Cities Outlook metric.
Well done Singapore!
