Taiwan has secured the ninth position among 67 countries and economies in the 2024 IMD World Digital Competitiveness Ranking. Taiwan has seen a three-position drop in the ranking compared to last year’s edition albeit achieving the top three in seven key indicators. The International Institute for Management (IMD) report, released Thursday, highlights exceptional performance in various digital competitiveness metrics.
Notable achievements include Taiwan’s first-place ranking in "IT & media stock market capitalization” and second-place in both “R&D personnel per thousand people" and "Business Agility." Additionally, the nation secured third place in four additional categories: PISA (the Programme for International Student Assessment) mathematics performance, higher education attainment among 25-34-year-olds, R&D expenditure as a percentage of GDP, and high-tech exports ratio.
The IMD’s evaluation framework consists of three main factors: Knowledge, Technology, and Future Readiness. In the Technology dimension, Taiwan ranked seventh globally, maintaining its leadership in IT and media market capitalization. The Future Readiness category saw Taiwan improve to sixth place, demonstrating strong capabilities in business agility and cybersecurity management. In the Knowledge category, Taiwan placed 19th, although it demonstrated particular strengths in research and development as well as personnel and educational achievements.
The Digital Ministry emphasized that these results affect Taiwan’s robust performance in information technology, R&D capabilities, business performance, and higher education. The ministry plans to further enhance Taiwan’s digital competitiveness through various initiatives, including AI startup investments, public-private collaboration, cybersecurity improvements, and continued development of digital talent pools to maintain Taiwan’s strong position in the global digital landscape.