Bahrain is ranked 30th in the world and third among Arab countries in its use of information and communication technologies (ICT) to enhance competitiveness and development, a new report revealed.

It is ranked below UAE (24th) and Qatar (25th), but came above Saudi Arabia (33rd) and Oman (41st), according to the Global Information Technology Report released by the World Economic Forum.

It said that Sweden and Singapore continue to top the rankings, while Finland jumped to third place, with Switzerland and the US in fourth and fifth place respectively.

The 10th anniversary edition of the report focused on ICT's power to transform society in the next decade through modernisation and innovation.

'Innovation and ICT have proven a crucial lever for long-term growth, with countless social and economic benefits and the capacity to significantly improve people's life around the world,' said forum senior director and information technology and telecommunications head Alan Marcus.

'Countries fully integrating new technologies and leveraging the new data revolution in their development and growth strategies are laying the foundations for competitive, resilient economies for the future.'

The report contains detailed country profiles for the 138 economies featured in the study as well as an extensive section of data tables for the 71 indicators used in measuring the index.-TradeArabia News Service