Visitors at Vietnam Internet Day 2020. Việt Nam’s e-security index improved by 54 per cent in 2021. — VNA/VNS Photo Minh Quyết

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam’s e-security index improved by 54 per cent since last year but its internet became less affordable, the 2021 Digital Quality of Life Index (DQL) conducted by cybersecurity company Surfshark showed.

The third annual report has placed Việt Nam 73rd among 110 countries, down 19 places compared to the previous year.

Covering 90 per cent of the global population, the study evaluates countries based on five fundamental digital wellbeing pillars. Việt Nam shows its best results in internet affordability (ranking 51st), but lags behind with internet quality (86th), e-government (75th), e-security (71st), and e-infrastructure (67th).

Vietnamese people have to work one minute 45 seconds to afford the cheapest mobile internet and two minutes 53 seconds to access the cheapest broadband internet. Despite a 62 per cent year-on-year decrease, the country still has quite affordable internet access compared to the global average (10 minutes for 1GB of mobile internet).

E-security is also a bright spot in Việt Nam’s performance picture as the country’s index improved by 54 per cent since last year thanks to the improvement of data protection laws. However, the country still remains on the lower end of the list, coming in 71st place worldwide, due to a decline in cybersecurity.

In the all-around picture, six out of 10 countries with the highest scores are located in Europe, with Denmark topping the list for the second year in a row and is closely followed by South Korea. — VNS