Bermuda has slipped down the world rankings for e-business readiness but remains in the top 25 countries.

The ratings of the world's largest economies are done by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) measuring how agreeable a market is to Internet-based opportunity.

It also assesses how individuals and businesses consume digital goods and services.

At 21st place Bermuda is still ahead of Japan but down four spots from 2008.

However a new ratings systems saw many other countries plummet in the placings with the US, the UK, Japan, Hong Kong and South Korea all down four or five spots in 2009.

This year's report focused primarily on the global economic crisis.

As a result all but nine of the 70 countries in the E-readiness rankings received a drop in their scores.

Bermuda's profile in the categories for connectivity, legal environment and Government policy and vision compare favourably with other jurisdictions, according to a Bermuda Government press release.

In the legal environment Bermuda ranked with the UK, Canada, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Switzerland, Germany, Ireland and South Korea.

In the business environment category, which measures a country's attractiveness as a trading economy and as a destination for business investment, Bermuda came higher than the US, the UK, Belgium, France, South Korea, Ireland, Taiwan, Austria, the New Zealand, Norway, Netherlands, Sweden and Denmark.

Government said the result illustrates how the economic crisis has affected many jurisdictions through the constriction of credit, protectionist measures - including the technology sector - and dampened foreign investment and support for private enterprise.

Bermuda decreased slightBermuda decreased slightly in the social and cultural environment, with a score of 6.63.

This is an area where educational level, internet literacy, entrepreneurship, technical skills of the workforce and the degree of innovation are important indicators.

Energy Telecommunications and E-Commerce Minister Michael Scott said: "This category represents both a challenge and opportunity for Bermuda which is why we hold TechWeek every year to promote the importance of technical literacy and entrepreneurship.

"We are also pleased to see higher education opportunities increasing in Bermuda through various college and university courses."

In the consumer and business adoption category, which in the past measured the availability of online public services, in 2009 it addressed the actual usage of online public services by both consumers and businesses.

Bermuda's scores for the new usage indicators were lower than in the availability indicators, thus contributing to the reduced score.

Director of E-Commerce Nancy Volesky said: "We are confident that Bermuda will continues to do well in the EIU E-readiness rankings in the future as we are constantly creating new opportunities and promoting technology every day."