International Rankings

A 2018 report by G3ict[1] on countries’ performance shows little progress in all terms of commitment and implementation, as shown in tables 2-5. Table 2 ranks the top 10 countries in terms of implementation outcome based on commitments, and compares their scores according to the recent 2020 Dare Index report.[2] Only two countries improved their overall score, namely, Qatar (89) and Italy (75.5). While Oman was ranked as the best performing country in 2018 with a score of 81, it dropped 15.5 points to 65.5, giving the top seat to another Arab country, namely, Qatar, with a 14-point score rise from 75 in 2018 to 89 in 2020. Surprisingly, all top-ranking countries showed a drop in their overall score. In contrast, implementation and outcome scores improved for most countries in the last two years. For example, the Russian Federation and South Africa improved their implementation score by 13 and 18 points, respectively. Only two countries scored less in 2020 than in 2018, namely, Oman and the United States. This clearly indicates a positive overall implementation level of necessary policies and accessibility regulations.

Table 2. Top ten performing countries, 2018-2020
Country 2018 2020
Score/100 Implementation and outcome/50 Score/100 Implementation and outcome/50
Oman 81 31 65.5 23
Brazil 79 29 72 27
France 77 27 72.5 30
South Africa 76 10 75.5 28
Qatar 75 30 89 39
United states 75 30 71.5 29
Italy 73 28 75.5 28
Russian Federation 73 13 61 26
United Kingdom 73 28 66.5 29
Kenya 72 16 70 25
Spain 72 27 62.5 25

Source: DARE index top performing countries. Available at https://g3ict.org/upload/DARE-Index-Top-Performing-Countries-Nov-5-2018.pdf and https://g3ict.org/upload/accessible_DARE-Index-2020-Top-Performing-Countries-ENGLISH-1.pdf.

Table 3 shows the top scoring countries with respect to their region, which clearly shows that Central and South Asian countries, with the exception of the Russian Federation, are way below world average. Notably, two Arab countries, Oman and Qatar, held the top position, Oman in 2018 and Qatar in 2020. Their efforts are noticeable despite the low implementation outcome and commitment of the entire region, as shown in table 4.

Table 3. Region ranking based on commitments, capacity and outcomes
Region 2018 2020
Countries Score/100 Countries Score/100
Africa South Africa 76 South Africa 75.5
Kenya 72 Kenya 70
Central Asia Russian Federation 73 Russian Federation 61
Turkmenistan 23 Tajikistan 52.5
East Asia and the Pacific Australia 71 Australia 80
China 62 Philippines 53
Europe France 77 Italy 75.5
Italy 73 France 72.5
Latin America and the Caribbean Brazil 79 Brazil 72
Jamaica 60 Uruguay 67
MENA region/Arab countries Oman 81 Qatar 89
Qatar 75 Oman 65.5
North America United States 75 United States 71.5
Canada 57 Canada 56
South Asia India 46 India 53
Nepal 43 Pakistan 46.5

Source: DARE index top performing countries. Available at https://g3ict.org/upload/DARE-Index-Top-Performing-Countries-Nov-5-2018.pdf and https://g3ict.org/upload/accessible_DARE-Index-2020-Top-Performing-Countries-ENGLISH-1.pdf.

Results also show that Europe and North America outperformed the rest of the regions in implementation and outcome, with 55.1 and 63.8, respectively. However, all regions scored low in their capacity to implement or in commitment, as shown in table 4 below. The Middle East and North Africa (MENA), including non-Arab countries, have fair implementation and capacity to implement but with low overall commitment.

Table 4. Region Rankings, 2020
Region Implementation and outcome Capacity to implement Commitment Overall Score
Central Asia 13.8 6.9 14.4 35.1
South Asia 8.3 8.8 15.7 32.8
Africa 7 10.8 14.5 32.3
East Asia and the Pacific 10.4 11.4 14.3 36.1
Latin America and the Caribbean 11.2 11 17 39.2
MENA 13.7 11.9 16.3 41.9
Europe 20.1 16 19 55.1
North America 20 20 23.8 63.8

Source: DARE Index 2020. Global Progress by CRPD States Parties.

Table 5. Global e-accessibility commitment (percentage)
Commitment Global average
Ratification of CRPD 93
Ratification of the Marrakesh Treaty 37
Laws to protect the rights of persons with disabilities 88
Defining reasonable accommodation 68
E-accessibility defined 61
Overall commitment 65

Source: DARE Index 2020. Global Progress by CRPD States Parties.

Although 93 per cent of countries have ratified CRPD and 37 per cent have ratified the Marrakesh Treaty, only 65 per cent of countries have made commitments to advance e-accessibility for persons with disabilities. As table 5 shows, less than 70 per cent of countries have a clear definition of e-accessibility. The present report also identifies several issues causing the slowdown of e-accessibility at the global level, which include the following:

  • In most countries, persons with disabilities or their supporting government agencies seldom participate in developing policies or regulations, including on e-accessibility;
  • Lack of national awareness programmes and specialized educational courses.

The 2018 Disability and Development Report[3] provides several recommendations to strengthen the inclusion and accessibility of persons with disabilities, which include the following:

  • Raise awareness and knowledge of ICT accessibility;
  • Involve persons with disabilities and specialized agencies in drafting policies, recommendations and regulations;
  • Encourage the ICT industry and the public sector to adopt the Seven Principles of Universal Design[4] on equitable use and perceivable information, which directly impact e-accessibility;
  • Implement national accessibility policies and regulations;
  • Create dedicated governmental organizations to oversee ICT accessibility;
  • Provide equal and affordable Internet access for persons with disabilities;

Encourage Government and private-sector funding to support open-source software development and Universal Design at a low cost for persons with disabilities.