These 7 countries are benefiting most from technology innovation

The United States, Singapore, Finland, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, and Israel are seven top countries reaping rich dividends from economic and digital innovation, according to a survey by Geneva-based World Economic Forum released on Wednesday.

The latest Global Information Technology Report by the Davos economic forum says that trends suggest individuals, not business or government, are driving the digital revolution and an already large gap in infrastructure between rich and developing countries are widening.

"Governments or businesses are not leveraging digital technology sufficiently," said WEF competitiveness chief Margareta Drzeniek-Hanouz. Developing nations could benefit by providing affordable access to technology, she said, noting how some are exploring new business models to "leapfrog" the Internet into mobile telephone payment systems, for example.

According to the 289-page report Singapore topped the list in its Network Readiness Index — a gauge of countries' preparedness to tap into the benefits of emerging technologies. The United States and Japan joined seven European countries rounding out the top 10. In that ranking, Russia remained 41st and China rose three places to 59th. South Africa jumped 10 spots to 65th.