The 2014 Global Information Technology report ranked Albania 95th out of 148 global economies, sandwiched between Jamaica and Guatemala, down from 83rd in 2013 and 68th in 2012.
TIRANA, April 28 – Albania continued losing ground for the second year in a row in the development of information technology lagging behind its regional competitors, according to a report published by the World Economic Forum. The 2014 Global Information Technology report ranked Albania 95th out of 148 global economies, sandwiched between Jamaica and Guatemala, down from 83rd in 2013 and 68th in 2012.
On a 1-to-7 scale, Albania got 3.7 points in the environment subindex, 4.6 points in the readiness subindex, 3.4 points in the usage subindex and 2.9 points in the impact subindex.
In the political and regulatory environment pillar, Albania has the worst ranking in judicial independence, efficiency of legal system in settling disputes, intellectual property protection and ranks slightly better on the number of days to enforce a contract and laws relating to ICTs.
Albania ranks 65th in the business and innovation environment pillar, with a positive rating on the number of days and procedures to start a business but relatively poor on the intensity of local competition and availability of latest technologies.
The report ranks Albania 90th in the infrastructure and digital content, 87th in affordability, 62nd on skills, 82nd on individual usage, 107th on business usage and 93rd on government usage.
Economic and social impacts of ICTs rank Albania 125th and 97th respectively. The report shows the impact of ICTs on new services and products access to basic services remains poor.
Albania lost 15 places in the 2013 Networked Readiness Index ranking 144 economies based on their capacity to exploit the opportunities offered by the digital age.
This year’s 13th edition of the global information technology report is released at a time when economies need to solidify the recovery of the past year and leave the worst financial and economic crisis. Against this backdrop, information and communication technologies (ICTs), in their role as key enablers of innovation and new employment opportunities, are drawing more attention than ever before. As the benefits of ICTs increasingly materialize into tangible assets, building and strengthening digital ecosystems becomes increasingly important. This year’s coverage includes a record number of 148 economies, accounting for over 98 percent of global GDP. The Networked Readiness Index, calculated by the World Economic Forum, ranks economies based on their capacity to exploit the opportunities offered by the digital age. This capacity is determined by the quality of the regulatory, business and innovation environments, the degree of preparedness, the actual usage of ICTs, as well as the societal and economic impacts of ICTs. The assessment is based on a broad range of indicators from Internet access and adult literacy to mobile phone subscriptions and the availability of venture capital. In addition, indicators such as patent applications and e-government services gauge the social and economic impact of digitization.
