Network Readiness Index 2025 (NRI 2025)

India has improved its global standing in digital preparedness, climbing four places to rank 45th in the Network Readiness Index 2025 (NRI 2025), according to a report released on February 4 by the Portulans Institute, a Washington DC-based independent, non-profit research and educational organisation.

The Network Readiness Index evaluates the readiness of 127 economies to leverage information and communication technologies (ICTs) for economic growth, innovation and social development. The assessment is based on performance across four pillars — Technology, People, Governance and Impact — comprising 53 indicators.

Along with the improvement in rank, India also recorded a rise in its overall score, increasing from 53.63 out of 100 in 2024 to 54.43 in 2025, reflecting steady progress in digital infrastructure and ICT-driven outcomes.

The report highlights India’s global leadership in several key indicators. India ranked first worldwide in annual investment in telecommunication services, AI scientific publications, ICT services exports, and e-commerce legislation, underlining its growing digital economy and regulatory ecosystem.

India also secured the second position globally in fibre-to-the-home/building (FTTH/B) internet subscriptions, mobile broadband internet traffic within the country, and international internet bandwidth, indicating strong connectivity expansion and data usage. Additionally, the country ranked third in domestic market scale and income inequality indicators.

At the global level, the United States, Finland, and Singapore emerged as the top three most network-ready societies in the NRI 2025 rankings.

Experts note that India’s improved performance reflects sustained investments in digital infrastructure, growing adoption of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, and an enabling policy framework supporting ICT-led development.