Internet inventor Sir Tim Berners-Lee today published a global study showing Britain is the third best country in the world at using the web.
The Web Index puts Sweden top and the US in second place.
It also shows that the internet remains a largely untapped resource, with only one in three people using it globally and fewer than one in six in Africa.
The index ranks 61 countries on internet readiness and use, as well as the political, economic and social value they extract from it.
Launched by Sir Tim’s Web Foundation charity, the index reveals that high broadband prices and trends toward censorship are major barriers to making the internet useful to all.
Almost 30 per cent of the countries covered face government restrictions on access to websites.
“The web is a global conversation. Suppression of free speech, both online and offline, is possibly the biggest challenge to its future,” warned Sir Tim.
