Saudi Arabia has been ranked second among the G20 countries in the Digital Competitiveness Report for the year 2021, a publication issued by the European Center for Digital Competitiveness, according to a report.
The reports findings are based on data provided by the Global Competitiveness Index issued by the World Economic Forum, and supporting data provided by the World Bank and the International Telecommunication Union.
Saudi Arabia soared in rankings in a recent digital competitiveness report.
“Within the Group of Twenty, China was the top Digital Riser, while India and Japan fell significantly behind. Interestingly, no European country made it into the top three Digital Risers among the Group of Twenty. Germany ranked only third to last. When breaking down the results, Saudi Arabia and China improved most in the ecosystem and mindset dimensions, respectively. While India’s decline was driven by both the ecosystem and mindset dimensions,” the report says.
The Kingdom advanced 20 ranks in the general index compared to the previous year and 86 ranks in the digital ecosystem axis, topping the G20 countries, and achieved third place in the digital capabilities axis among G20 countries.
The report lauded the Saudi Arabia’s ICT Strategy 2023, a government roadmap for innovation and the digital economy, which aims at developing digital capabilities and attracting foreign technical investments.
Major targets for the ICT sector in Saudi Arabia include the creation of over 25,000 quality jobs in the sector, an increase in the IT and emerging technologies market size by 50%, the growth of the ICT sector’s contribution to GDP by $13.33 billion over five years and a rise in women’s participation in the sector by 50%, according to the report.
