The nation ranked third in the world in terms of informatization this year.

In its "Korea Internet White Paper 2006" released Thursday, the Information and Communication Ministry said that the nation took third place for the second consecutive year.

The informatization index is calculated on the basis of the International Telecommunication Union’s statistics on information technology infrastructure and the use thereof.

Sweden topped the list while the U.S. took the second spot. Switzerland came in fourth and Hong Kong fifth.

The ministry said that along with other information technology-related statistics, the data show that the nation is emerging as a global IT power.