According to a UNDP study this July, Finland is the most technologically advanced country in the world. The Human Development Report 2001 states that Finland clinched top position from the U.S. in part due to greater Internet availability and the population's better technological know-how on average.

The study measures technological development by means of the Technology Achievement Index (TAI). It depicts the ability of countries to create and use technologies in the network economy as well as know-how. In addition to Finland, the most technologically advanced countries were the U.S., Sweden, Japan, Korea, the Netherlands, the U.K., Canada, Australia and Singapore. A total of 72 countries were included in the study. The report also listed 46 globally significant technology clusters, of which 13 were located in the U.S.. Finland's regional technology clusters are the Helsinki region and Oulu, in the province of East Bothnia.

The report also includes the Human Development Index, in which countries are ranked according to primarily economic, educational and health related variables. The top countries in this category were Norway, Australia, Canada, Sweden and Belgium. Finland placed tenth.

Finland number two in Internet use per capita

Ministry of Transportation and Communications statistics indicate that Finland's Internet use per capita is the second highest in the world, after the U.S. At the end of last year for every thousand persons there were 148 computers linked to the Internet, which is up 25 per cent from the previous year. Following Finland in the top number of Internet connections are Iceland, Canada and Norway.

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