Jordan rose 11 spots to forty-fifth place in the second edition of a global digital competitiveness report.

The IMD World Digital Competitiveness Ranking 2018 said Jordan’s improved ranking came as a result of the country’s overall transition into a more digitalized society, as well as the government’s ongoing adoption of e-services. “Jordan’s impressive improvement in the overall digital ranking stems from its advances across all digital factors,” said Professor Arturo Bris, director of the Switzerland-based IMD World Competitiveness Center.

Regionally, the IMD World Digital Competitiveness Ranking showed a “pronounced gap” in the digitalization of the region.

The UAE was the highest-ranking country (17) in the region, mainly due to progress in all components of the technology factor, in particular in the technological framework sub-factor.

While the digitalization gap widens slightly between the UAE and the second ranking economy in the region, Qatar at 28, it sharply broadens with the fourth, Saudi Arabia at 42.

Qatar remains stable in the overall ranking but gains in the availability of relevant talent and business agility, the report said, whereas Saudi Arabia declines largely because of downturns in training and education, technological framework and all the components of future readiness. Jordan ranks the lowest in the region despite greatly improving from 56 to 45.