Portugal regained the 34th position of the ranking, going up three positions e regaining the position held in 2019.
It was one of the European countries that moved up the most positions, with Luxembourg just ahead, going up six positions.
IMD World Competitiveness Center analyzed 64 countries, evaluating the resourcefulness of adopting and exploring digital technologies towards the transformation of business models, governmental and societal practices.
For the report setup, in each country, IMD had the collaboration of a partner organization for the data collection, and, in the Portuguese case, it partnered with Porto Business School.
For this ranking, IMD World Competitiveness Center analyses three competitiveness indicators. Knowledge defines the needs for learning and discovering technologies; technology quantifies the development of digital technologies; and future readiness considers the level of preparation of an economy to build up its digital transformation.
This year Portugal shows a growth in the journey of digital transformation, contrary to the trend of the last three editions of the ranking. Portugal climbs up three positions, occupying the 34th position in the overall table.
When analyzing the ranking disaggregate by indicators, for Portugal knowledge is the most relevant indicator, occupying the 32nd position, which represents moving up one position compared to the previous year.
The knowledge indicator covers three variables: talent; training and education; and scientific concentration, occupying the 22nd position.
The technological skills are the main catalyst of this variable (14th position), so Portugal is promoting the development of the needed skills for a more digital future of education.
The future of education was the theme of the Digital Lab, promoted by IDC and Axians, within the 6th edition of Portugal Digital Awards. On September 16 the Digital Lab gathered a panel of representatives of organizations with a solid contribute towards Portuguese education.
In this talk about the future of education in Portugal, Patrícia Teixeira Lopes, Associate Dean of Porto Business School, identifies “three or four priorities that should be part of the future of education: lifelong learning that is key”, the fact that training is increasingly personalized, customized towards the individuals interests of each person”. To achieve these priorities, Patrícia Teixeira Lopes ensures “digital will be a decisive medium”.
The indicator technology holds the position achieved in 2020 and 2019, occupying the 38th position and in this context, it is highlighted as main strengths immigration laws (3rd position) and communication technologies (11th position).
In 2018 Portugal occupied the 32nd position in the ranking of future readiness. Although the worst-case scenario regarding digital competitiveness lies within the future readiness, Portugal moved up three positions (38th position) compared with the previous year (41st position). In this segment, it is highlighted as main weakness the use of big data and analytics.
Arturo Bris, Director of IMD World Competitiveness Center, claims "our societies’ digital transformation have profound implications for national prosperity and expanding welfare, but the choices and trade-offs in play are often poorly understood by those affected.” This research aims to help building a broader understanding and a better-quality public debate.
