Jakarta (Indonesia Window) - Indonesia's Digital Competitiveness Index ranks 56th of 63 economies, according to a report published by a Switzerland-based International Institute for Management Development (IMD) on Thursday (Oct 1).

The institute defines digital competitiveness as the capacity of an economy to adopt and explore digital technology that leads to transformation in governance practices, business models and society in general.

The IMD measures three parameters, namely, knowledge, technology, and future readiness.

Indonesia's digital competitiveness index position in 2020 remains at 56th compared to last year, despite improving in the future readiness factor, particularly in e-participation (58th to 45th) and internet retailing (58th to 50th), the report says.

Such an improvement is counterbalanced by a drop in the technology factor in which the efficiency of the banking and financial services, the level of investment in telecommunication and wireless broadband (penetration rate, per 100 people) show a steep decline, according to the report.

In the group of Asia and the Pacific economies, Indonesia's digital competitiveness index ranks 12th of 14 countries.

Meanwhile, based on a population of more than 20 million, Indonesia is at the 23rd position of 28 countries.

This year, the world digital competitiveness ranking by the IMD places the United States, Singapore, Denmark, Sweden and Hong Kong (Special Administrative Regions) in the top five.

The IMD 2020 report highlights how economies employ digital technologies, which could help predict their ability to weather the pandemic.

“The flexibility and adaptability of both individuals and the private sector may also be a large part of the puzzle for countries trying to rebuild their economies from COVID’s battering,” said Christos Cabolis, Chief Economist of the IMD World Competitiveness Center.

Reporting by Indonesia Window