Contrary to other studies, an annual report released Wednesday by the World Economic Forum has found that the United States' Internet economy is fourth in the world and getting better.

The Global Information Technology Report found that among the top 10 countries, only South Korea showed more improvement than the United States from a year ago. South Korea moved up 10 positions to No. 9, and the United States rose by three.

Holding on to first and second place from last year were Denmark and Sweden, respectively. Switzerland moved up two positions to No. 3. Rounding out the top 10 in descending order were No. 5 Singapore, which fell two positions; Finland, which also dropped two; Netherlands, which fell by one; and Iceland and Norway, both unchanged.

Unlike other studies, which often focus solely on broadband capacity or data speeds, the GITR uses what it calls a Networked Readiness Index created from 68 variables that also include the general business, regulatory, and infrastructure environment; the readiness of individuals, businesses, and governments to use and benefit from the Internet; and actual usage of the latest information and communication technologies available.

Insead, a business school near Paris, conducts the study on behalf of the World Economic Forum, a policy and conference group based in Switzerland. This is the seventh consecutive year of the study, which covers 127 countries.

While the United States comes out strong in this report, it does less well in single-measure studies. BDA, a Chinese consulting and research firm, reported last month that China surpassed the United States to rank first among nations for its number of Internet users. The group found that the growth in Internet use since the end of last year in China has created more than the 216 million users in the United States.

A year ago, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development put the United States 15th among industrialized countries in the percentage of people with high-speed connectivity. And a report commissioned by the Communications Workers of America found that median U.S. Internet download speed is about 2 Mbps, compared with 61 Mbps in Japan, 45 Mbps in South Korea, and 17 Mbps in France.