ZAGREB, June 19, 2018 - Croatia has climbed four places since last year and is now in the 44th place on the 2018 World Digital Competitiveness Ranking and among 63 leading global economies, the National Competitiveness Council reported on Tuesday.
The World Digital Competitiveness Ranking, which is published by the International Institute for Management Development (IMD) from Lausanne, a partner-institute to Croatia's National Competitiveness Council, has since 1989 been preparing analysis and ranking countries according to their competencies in adopting digital technologies in an effort to apply them in public services, business models and generally in society.
The analyses are based on three benchmarks: the know-how, technology and readiness for the future. Each of these three factors is divided into three sub-factors consisting of 50 criteria in all.
"The United States returns to the first spot, followed by Hong Kong, Singapore, the Netherlands and Switzerland. The Netherlands moves one place to 4th, swapping with Switzerland which moves down to 5th," IMD said in a press release on its web site.
The following Central and Eastern European countries are ranked higher than Croatia – Czech Republic (33th), Slovenia (34th) Poland (36th) and Bulgaria (43th), while Hungary (46th), Romania (47th), and Slovakia (50th) lagged behind Croatia.
"We are finally witnessing an improvement in Croatia's position in the World Digital Competitiveness Ranking. That is also the result of positive steps the government has taken in affirming information technology in the public sector and education and further steps in the use of e-services," president of the National Competitiveness Council Ivica Mudrinić said.
ICT is a horizontal industry that impacts and enables growth in competitiveness and all other industries, including the public sector. Stronger application of ICT can enable faster development and prosperity for Croatia, he added.
"In order to achieve the necessary technological standards and significant progress in that area, we have to be more resolute in implementing digital transformation of the economy and society. We must not delay changes or the adaptation of the strategic and regulatory framework or decision-making that will support the further development of the ICT infrastructure," Mudrinić concluded.
