---
id: "concept-digital-evolution-index"
type: "concept"
source_timestamps: ["¶2", "§ See more HBR charts in Data & Visuals"]
tags: ["metrics", "macroeconomics", "digital-growth"]
related: ["framework-digital-evolution-matrix", "concept-digital-momentum", "entity-digital-planet", "entity-via-science-inc"]
definition: "An index assessing 125 countries across ~185 indicators to measure digital supply, demand, institutions, and innovation, mapping the fragmentation of the global digital economy."
sources: ["futures"]
sourceVaultSlug: "hbr-seg-futures"
originDay: 2
articleStem: "hbr-foci-75-fragmenting-digital-economy"
sourceUrl: "https://hbr.org/2026/06/what-a-fragmenting-digital-economy-means-for-global-competition"
sourceTitle: "What a Fragmenting Digital Economy Means for Global Competition"
---
# 2026 Digital Evolution Index (DEI)

The **2026 Digital Evolution Index (DEI)** is the measurement instrument underpinning the entire source. It is co-produced by [[entity-digital-planet]] (Tufts University's Fletcher School) and [[entity-via-science-inc]].

The index assesses the state of the digital economy across **125 countries** (covering roughly 92% of the world's population) and tracks **185 indicators** grouped into four broad drivers:

1. **Supply conditions** — infrastructure, access, quality.
2. **Demand conditions** — consumer adoption and usage.
3. **Institutional environment** — governance, regulation, trust.
4. **Innovation and change factors** — R&D, entrepreneurship, capacity to evolve.

The DEI is used to map the *fragmentation* of the global digital economy and to categorize nations into the strategic theaters of the [[framework-digital-evolution-matrix]], based on both their evolutionary *state* and their [[concept-digital-momentum]].

> **Enrichment caveat:** Tufts Digital Planet's public methodology reports **184 indicators**, not 185 — treat the exact count as approximate. The 125-country scope and the four-pillar structure (institutional environment, demand, supply, capacity for innovation and change) are confirmed by official materials.