Albania loses 15 places in global internet index

TIRANA, April 15 – 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. The report published by the World Economic Forum ranked Albania 83rd in 2013, from 68th in 2012, sandwiched between Armenia and Vietnam, worse than regional Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina but better than Serbia.
On a 1-to-7 scale, Albania got 3.8 points ranking better on the “readiness” subindex with 4.6 points, “environment” subindex at 4.6 points and worse in the “usage” and “impact” subindexes at 3.4 and 3.3 points respectively. Political and regulatory environment ranked Albania 102nd mainly due to poor judicial independence and intellectual property protection.
Back in 2012, Albania climbed 19 steps to 68th in the 2012 Global Information Technology report published by the World Economic Forum. Introducing the results of the report in a press conference this week, Innovation and IT Minister Genc Pollo dedicated Albania’s improved performance in the Networked Readiness Index to the “Digital Albania” government project.
“We climbed from the world’s 95th in 2010 to 68th in 2011,” said Pollo.
The Forum’s report also shows that digitization has a measurable effect on economic growth and job creation. In emerging markets, a comprehensive digital boost could help lift over half a billion people out of poverty over the next decade. New technologies have already transformed sectors from healthcare to farming, case studies in the report show.
The Networked Readiness Index, calculated by the World Economic Forum, ranks 144 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.