 Every year, the International Telecommunication Union, that's the UN Agency for Information and Communication Technologies, or ICTs, releases the world's most accurate global analysis of ICT development for over more than 160 economies worldwide, called the ICT Development Index, or IDI. It's a benchmarking tool designed to help countries advance their own ICT development by helping them measure progress. The IDI is a unique, impartial, highly reliable benchmark that is widely used, not just by policymakers at other UN agencies, but by the world's telecom operators, equipment manufacturers, and ICT service providers, the global investment community, and experts in academia. The IDI tracks the level and evolution over time of national ICT development, progress in ICT development both in developed and developing countries, the digital divide separating countries with differences in terms of ICT access, use, and skills, and the extent to which countries can make use of ICTs to achieve the UN's sustainable development goals. Information and communication technologies are crucial to implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Indicators are a useful reference of future planning and development. Better data means better policymaking and more informed investment decisions. Because the IDI is based around a basket of 11 statistical indicators, it offers the world's most well-rounded picture of ICT access, use, and skills, as well as providing insights into emerging technology trends, like the uptake of mobile broadband. To ensure the IDI remains the world's most trusted ICT development index, ITU uses figures provided by official sources in its member states. In 2015, an independent assessment confirmed the IDI's very high statistical reliability. The IDI is a powerful benchmark that helps countries and development partners track progress and identify gaps so that ICTs can reach their full potential as drivers of socioeconomic development for all. For ITU, the IDI is just one more way that we help our members connect the world.