Cyprus slides down Digital Quality of Life Index

Cyprus is ranked 37, dropping two places, among 117 countries in the Digital Quality of Life Index (DQL), while also classified as one of the countries with the most expensive internet.

The island dropped two spots on the DQL report in 2022, compared to 2021, while it is down the table at 51 for the most expensive internet.

The report reveals that the internet in Cyprus is not as affordable compared to other countries, although the price of mobile internet has improved since 2021.

Cypriots need to work 14 minutes and 18 seconds longer than the average to afford the service.

Covering 90% of the global population, the DQL study is conducted by the cybersecurity company Surfshark and evaluates countries based on five fundamental digital well-being pillars.

Cyprus shows strong results in internet quality (15) but displays comparatively poor results in internet affordability (51), e-infrastructure (39), e-security (22) and e-government (31).

It is placed 53 when it comes to the quality of the internet network.

According to the survey, the island’s internet providers should improve internet quality by 70%.

Mobile internet is ranked 7th worldwide, with a speed of 159.2 Mbps, marking an improvement of 49.9% from an average of 53 Mbps in 2021.

Fixed broadband is ranked 66, with just 58 Mbps, an increase of 14.9% and 7.5 Mbps since 2021.

The world’s fastest network is in Singapore, according to the survey, with mobile speeds of up to 104 Mbps and broadband speeds of up to 261 Mbps.

Global digital gap

Surfshark reports that globally broadband is becoming less affordable every year, with consumers working six minutes longer to afford a connection in 2022.

The survey notes that “amid rising inflation, fixed broadband internet has become less affordable globally for the second year in a row, widening the global digital divide”.

Israel topped the DQL index, followed by Denmark and Germany.