Germany loses ground in digital competitiveness, according to a new study. The federal republic of germany fell in a prestigious ranking to the 18th place. Place among 63 countries.
In 2016, it still ranked 15th, as reported by the IMD private business school in lausanne, switzerland. The oeconomists examine how much countries rely on digital technologies. According to the university, this could be an important indicator of how well countries come through the corona pandemic. The top places were taken by the USA, singapore and denmark, which swapped places with sweden.
"Germany has excellent research and good talent, but it’s not really getting off the ground in terms of digital competitiveness," IMD chief economist christos cabolis told the german press agency. "There is a lack of technological infrastructure and investment in telecommunications, for example. But too many germans do not know enough about the digital space as well. So far, the educational takeaways haven’t been enough."
Accordingly, germany came in last in terms of digital skills, the development and application of new technologies, the availability of wireless broadband internet and electronic solutions for citizens. Among the top ten, besides the four countries mentioned, are hong kong, switzerland, the netherlands, south korea, norway and finland. It was the same top 10 as last year, with slight shifts in position.