PH drops three spots, places 59th in World Digital Competitiveness Ranking

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 1) — The Philippines slipped by three spots and placed 59th out of 64 countries in this year’s World Digital Competitiveness Ranking, a report by the Institute for Management Development (IMD) showed.

In the Asia-Pacific region, the Philippines ranked 13th out of 14 countries – only ahead of Mongolia which placed 63rd overall.

The country placed 56th overall last year and 58th in 2021.

The ranking considered three main factors where the Philippines also posted slight declines compared with its 2022 data – knowledge (63rd from 62nd), technology (51st from 49th), and future readiness (59th from 58th).

The five countries leading this year’s list are the United States, the Netherlands, Singapore, Denmark, and Switzerland which IMD considers as “digital nations,” or countries that facilitate the full adoption of digital technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI).

“While we measure no specific AI indicators, the technology sits silently at the core of the subfactors that we quantify: talent, regulatory and technological frameworks, and adaptive attitudes and business agility,” IMD’s World Competitiveness Center professor Arturo Bris said in an accompanying statement.

“On a data level, the quality of digital regulation, the funding available for technology development, and the degree of company agility are all data points that are enmeshed with AI,” he added.

Marcos this month invited technology stakeholders to invest in the Philippines as the government works to boost the development of AI in the country.