Here are the details of one attempt at arriving at an arbitrary list based on five sets of metrics…
In an analysis of 54 countries to identify 10 to be ranked in terms of their preparedness for data security threats in 2024, a firm producing a self-hosted and open-source “freemium” password manager has arrived at some announcements.
First, the key parameters for the rankings were: each country’s global cybersecurity index; the number of accounts exposed in data breaches; searches for “How to Create a Strong Password” per 100K people; the number of cybersecurity professionals in each country examined, and each country’s Digital Competitiveness Ranking. These data sets (from disparate sources and already pre-normalized for their original purposes) were further normalized and then combined to produce composite scores.
Second, based on the five key factors, the 10 countries topping the rankings were, in descending order: Sweden, Singapore, Germany, Denmark, Czechia, Kenya, Malaysia, Greece, Finland and Portugal.
Rankings described
Third, the observations and trends for the 10 countries’ rankings are:
- Sweden topped the rankings despite having a moderate number of cybersecurity professionals. It benefits from significant public interest in secure practices, as evidenced by its high historical search volume for “How to Create a Strong Password.”
- Singapore has the highest density of cybersecurity professionals relative to its small population, coupled with strong cybersecurity infrastructure and notable public interest in password-related tips.
- Germany demonstrated the strongest public interest in cybersecurity, as measured by historical password-related queries. Despite having fewer cybersecurity professionals per capita, Germany’s awareness and proactive public interest make it well-prepared for future challenges.
- Denmark has fewer cybersecurity professionals per capita, but its strong policies and digital infrastructure ensure it is well-equipped to handle data threats.
- The Czech Republic (Czechia) has a solid ratio of cybersecurity professionals and public engagement, with significant searches for password security. This signals growing awareness of data security practices.
- Kenya has a high cybersecurity index score despite middling public cyber awareness. While building its cybersecurity capacity, it needs to expand its workforce and increase public engagement.
- Malaysia has a high cybersecurity index, although it is dampened by less impressive public interest in password security searches and a lower number of cybersecurity professionals per capita. The infrastructure is in place for a top-10 ranking, but more work is needed to enhance preparedness.
- Greece ranks lower due to a smaller cybersecurity workforce and moderate public engagement. While policies are strong, there is a need to strengthen both its workforce and public awareness.
- Finland has one of the highest densities of cybersecurity professionals but a slightly lower cybersecurity index. However, public interest in cybersecurity remains strong.
- Portugal has a strong number of cybersecurity professionals per capita, but public engagement is lower. Fewer searches for password security indicate a need to boost public awareness alongside its existing infrastructure.
The data analysis was conducted by PSONO, whose spokesperson has announced: “Countries with a higher density of cybersecurity professionals per capita and strong public engagement with practices like creating secure passwords tend to be better prepared to handle cyber threats.”
