Brasil is a world leader in sustainable energy, currently generating about 80% of its electricity from hydropower, nuclear, and other sustainable resources. With two-thirds of the population of the United States and a land mass that is larger than the continental US, it nevertheless produces an annual carbon footprint that is less than 10% of its North American sibling. Brasil's overall economy is currently about 8% of the size of the US economy in nominal terms, and 16% the size of the US in purchasing-power terms.

Brasil also has a Digital Infrastructure ecosystem that is developing rapidly. In particular, the number of servers installed in its data centers ranks 20th in the world, ahead of countries such as Ireland, Indonesia, Malaysia, Turkey, South Korea, Mexico, and Chile. Internet access reaches almost 80% of its population, the highest among Latin American nations along with Chile, although average bandwidth must improve by about 30% to become Latam's leader.

But continued progress in Brasil is impeded by longstanding socioeconomic difficulties, according to IDCA Research. Taking the point of view that quantifiable, verifiable change is the essence of progress, IDCA Research tracks change and progress in its unique Digital Readiness Index of Nations, which was released early in 2023.

How The IDCA Digital Readiness Index Works
The Index measures Digital Readiness and socioeconomic progress for 147 nations, including Brasil. It integrates hundreds of factors into four broad categories: Economic, Environmental, Social, and Governance.

Our approach is relative, rather than absolute, meaning that progress within a nation is measured within the context of that nation's existing economic resources and social conditions.

The four category scores and overall score in this Index are presented on a 0-100 scale. Brasil records an overall score of 54, trailing only Chile and the small nations of Uruguay and Costa Rica within Latin America. Brasil's leadership in sustainable energy leads to an Environmental score of 75, trailing only Uruguay and Costa Rica in LatAm. (Within all of the Americas, this score is higher than that of Canada's 67 and dramatically higher than the USA's 40.)

But high income disparity, underdeveloped physical infrastructure for much of the population, a high level of perceived corruption, and political conflict drag down Brasil's scores in the Social category to 32 and Governance to 41, both below the world averages.

IDCA Research's approach in this index differs from traditional methods, which typically show wealthy nations at the top of every ranking and developing nations at the bottom. Instead, our approach uniquely enables a fresh, new look at developing nations. It presents a fairminded view of a nation's current situation and its prospects.

Let Us Know What You Think
The comments above represent a very small fraction of the amount of insight to be gained from the Digital Readiness Index. Revista IDCA Brasil will report on this research – and the issues it raises – in a continuing series of articles. There are hundreds of specific correlations to be made and insights to be drawn from the research's entire data set. We welcome comments, opinions, and information from our readers to enable IDCA to engage deeply with Brasil's enterprises and people.