IMD WORLD DIGITAL COMPETITIVENESS RANKING 2021 …

1 IMD, IMD INTERNATIONAL, REAL LEARNING. REAL IMPACT, IMD BUSINESS SCHOOL and IMD WORLD COMPETITIVENESS YEARBOOK are trademarks of IMD- International Institute for Management DevelopmentIMD WORLDDIGITAL COMPETITIVENESSRANKING 2021 IMD WORLD DIGITAL COMPETITIVENESS RANKING2021 About the Institute for Management Development (IMD)The Institute for Management Development (IMD) is an independent academic institution with Swiss roots and global reach, founded 75 years ago by business leaders for business leaders. Since its creation, IMD has been a pioneering force in developing leaders who transform organizations and contribute to society. Based in Lausanne (Switzerland) and Singapore, IMD has been ranked in the Top 3 of the annual FT s Executive Education Global RANKING for the last nine consecutive years and in the top fi ve for 17 consecutive years.

2 Our MBA and EMBA programs have repeatedly been singled out among the best in Europe and the WORLD . We believe that this consistency at the forefront of our industry is grounded in IMD s unique approach to creating Real Learning. Real Impact . Led by an expert and diverse faculty, we strive to be the trusted learning partner of choice for ambitious individuals and organizations worldwide. Challenging what is and inspiring what could WORLD DIGITAL COMPETITIVENESS RANKING 2021 PrefaceThe year 2020 started with news of a pandemic out of Wuhan, China. After a slow response by the rest of the WORLD , the aftermath of the pandemic was clear and powerful. The presence of COVID-19 throughout 2020 introduced two great challenges to governments around the WORLD : a health crisis and a consequent economic common domain for successfully addressing the twin challenges of the health and economic crises was the technological infrastructure of countries.

3 People, firms, and countries had to rapidly adapt in the new environment of learning and working online, order their necessities online and enjoy family and friends virtually. In fact, it is the capacity of economies to use DIGITAL technologies to transform themselves that the IMD WORLD DIGITAL COMPETITIVENESS RANKING are delighted to present the fifth edition of the IMD WORLD DIGITAL COMPETITIVENESS RANKING (WDCR) for 2021. This year we have the pleasure of welcoming a new economy in the group of countries we study, Botswana, increasing the total number to three important results we identified examining this year s rankings follow the suggestions that the Center has echoed in the last few years. The countries who seem to have performed better are those that have managed to have a strong presence in future readiness, that is, with flexible and agile individuals as well as firms, and to integrate the IT technologies in their daily practice.

4 In addition, leading economies are characterized by strong performance in training and education. Finally, leading economies have the ability to allocate capital towards learning and developing new again, we were reminded how fortunate we are to enjoy the support of a large group of stakeholders. Our Partner Institutes, the IMD Alumni community and our Panel of Experts from all the countries generously offer data and insights that are crucial for the completion of this and the other rankings of the Center. This year again, they miraculously managed to make us feel that it was business as usual and not a uniquely complicated and difficult environment. The reason you have this publication in your hands now is, for a great part, because of our stakeholders.

5 We are immensely thankful!Professor Arturo BrisDirectorIMD WORLD COMPETITIVENESS CenterDr Christos CabolisChief Economist & Head of OperationsIMD WORLD COMPETITIVENESS CenterIMD WORLD DIGITAL COMPETITIVENESS RANKING 20214 Table of ContentsPreface 3 The IMD WORLD COMPETITIVENESS Center 7 Partner Institutes 8 User s Guide to the IMD WORLD DIGITAL COMPETITIVENESS

6 RANKING 14 Overall and Breakdown DIGITAL Rankings 14 DIGITAL COMPETITIVENESS Country Profiles 15 DIGITAL COMPETITIVENESS challenges in the midst of the pandemic 18 IMD WORLD DIGITAL COMPETITIVENESS RANKING 2021 27 Methodology in a Nutshell 32 What is the IMD WORLD DIGITAL COMPETITIVENESS RANKING ?

7 33 The 2021 IMD WORLD COMPETITIVENESS Rankings : Selected Breakdowns 34 Populations greater than 20 million 34 Populations less than 20 million 35 GDP per capita greater than $20,000 36 GDP per capita less than $20,000 37 Europe- Middle East - Africa 38 Asia - Pacific 39 The Americas 39 Knowledge 40 Technology

8 41 Future Readiness 42 Factor Rankings - 5 years overview 44 Sub-factor Rankings 46 DIGITAL COMPETITIVENESS Country Profiles 47 Appendices and Sources 176 Notes and Sources by Criteria 178 Factor I: Knowledge 178 Factor II: Technology 180 Factor III.

9 Future Readiness 182 Index to Criteria 184 The IMD WORLD DIGITAL COMPETITIVENESS RANKING 2021 5 IMD WORLD DIGITAL COMPETITIVENESS RANKING 2021 WORLD DIGITAL COMPETITIVENESS Country ProfilesArgentina 48 Australia 50 Austria 52 Belgium 54 Botswana 56 Brazil 58 Bulgaria 60 Canada 62 Chile 64 China 66 Colombia 68 Croatia 70 Cyprus 72 Czech Republic 74 Denmark 76 Estonia

10 78 Finland 80 France 82 Germany 84 Greece 86 Hong Kong SAR 88 Hungary 90 Iceland 92 India 94 Indonesia 96 Ireland 98 Israel 100 Italy 102 Japan 104 Jordan 106 Kazakhstan 108 Korea Rep 110 Latvia 112 Lithuania 114 Luxembourg 116 Malaysia 118 Mexico