NEW DELHI: India has emerged as the world’s fifth most digitalised economy, overtaking several advanced nations as rapid adoption of artificial intelligence, digital public infrastructure and online services reshape the global technology landscape, according to a report released on Friday.The State of India’s Digital Economy (SIDE) 2026 report by the ICRIER-Prosus Centre for Internet and Digital Economy (IPCIDE) ranked India fifth globally on the CHIPS-Combined Index, behind the US, China, Singapore and the UK. India ranked eighth in 2025.The CHIPS framework measures countries across five pillars – connectivity, digital harnessing, innovation, protection and sustainability – covering 71 economies. The report said the global digital order is increasingly becoming “tripolar”, with Indo-Pacific emerging as a strong counterweight to North Atlantic dominance led by US and Europe.
