Asia houses 53.6% of Earth’s internet users, and there is no doubt that online platforms play a major role in everyday life.

The internet cost, quality, security, and other online aspects of each country in Asia can vary significantly.

Yet, 5 nations in this continent rank among the 45 countries with the highest digital quality life (DQL) index score.

Want to know who they are and why they made it so high on the list? Let’s find out.

5 Countries with the Highest DQL Score in Asia

Surfshark’s annual DQL index is based on 5 pillars that help gauge the state of a country’s digital ecosystem. These 5 pillars are:

• Internet affordability;
• Internet quality;
• Electronic infrastructure;
• Electronic security;
• And electronic government.

With the above in mind, here are the 5 Asian countries with the highest DQL score, according to the 2022 index.

1. Japan – 8th Overall

Japan has an overall DQL score of 0.68, giving it the highest rating in Asia and 8th worldwide.

Ranked in the 12th overall position back in 2021, Japan leapfrogged into the top 10 by becoming the country with the 5th most affordable internet.

Finally, the Nippon nation ranks in the top 20 countries with the best internet quality, electronic infrastructure, and electronic government.

2. South Korea – 10th Overall

South Korea (0.67) holds the 10th global position in the DQL index. This ranks it 2nd among Asian countries in terms of digital quality of life.

The electronic infrastructure, electronic government, and internet quality score obtained by South Korea is in the global top 10.

Yet, it has relatively high internet costs. Not only this, but the country also ranks 31st in internet security, marking a significant area of improvement.

3. Singapore – 15th Overall

Singapore has a 0.65 DQL index, which is good for 3rd in Asia and 15th in the world.

More than 90% of Singapore’s population will use the internet on a regular basis by the end of 2022. This makes sense as the country has the 4th most affordable internet in the world.

Not only this, but Singapore ranks 5th in internet quality and 2nd in electronic government.

With that in mind, Singapore has dropped 9 positions, from the 6th overall on a global scale in 2021.

The reason is that Singapore’s security score has taken a significant hit. This is due, in part, to a surge in cybercrime that saw more than 23% of users in Singapore become targets of a cyberattack.

This statistic also highlights the importance of additional safety precautions, like using a VPN.

It’s essential to find a reliable VPN, regardless of the operating system being used.

There are many providers that offer a VPN for Windows 7. But make sure that you only hire services with top security features, like advanced encryption.

4. Malaysia – 38th Overall

Malaysia is the Asian country with the 4th highest digital life quality rating.

The Southeast Asian country has a DQL ranking of 0.56, which gives it the 38th best rating on a global scale.

It’s important to note that Malaysia’s high ranking is driven by its internet affordability (16th worldwide) and internet quality (41st overall).

But, Malaysia’s global placement has actually decreased in comparison to the 2021 ranking, when it was in the 31st overall position.

This is because the country’s electronic infrastructure score has remained virtually the same, while its electronic security and electronic government statistics got worse.

5. China – 43rd overall

In Asia’s 5th and our ranking’s final spot comes China.

The 3rd largest country in the world by area, China boasts a DQL score of 0.53, which is good enough for a respectable 43rd overall.

China only has two out of five pillar scoring metrics in the global top 20, which are internet quality and electronic government.

Yet, the country has registered a significant drop in rankings going from number 22nd in the world back in 2021 to 43rd position in 2022.

The reason for this is that the country’s internet affordability has dropped significantly over that one-year span.

Its internet quality metric has also taken a major hit, going from 3rd in the world back in 2021 to 16th position in 2022.

With that said, it’s important to note that the other three pillar metrics are actually trending up.

Nonetheless, China’s electronic government is the pillar with the highest world ranking, signaling that there is plenty of room for improvement.

Conclusion

The DQL index serves as a gauge for the state of the digital ecosystem of every country in the list.

Asia has great representation, with 5 of the top 45 countries with the highest DQL score.

Yet, the region saw some significant drops, like Singapore going from 6th to 15th overall.

This means that Asian countries need to continue building strong infrastructures, combat cybercrime, and create a safe environment for their digital citizens.