Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — Saudi Arabia jumped 10 ranks to achieve 2nd place among the G20 countries, according to ICT Development Index (IDI) 2023, released by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

The ITU monitors the economies of 169 countries to measure their progress in ICT services through two main pillars ‘universal connectivity’ and ‘meaningful connectivity’, and evaluate some factors such as providing a high-quality infrastructure, as well as maintaining a safe and secure internet for everyone.

The IDI reflects Saudi Arabia’s strong ICT infrastructure and the affordable and reliable services, which directly contribute to the development of the national digital economy, attract investment and increase the size of the Saudi ICT market. Moreover, the index highlights Saudi Arabia’s commitment to develop its ICT infrastructure and services to boost economic growth and create opportunities, which places the Saudi ICT market as the largest and the fastest growing in the MENA region.

The IDI reflects the robust and developed digital infrastructure, with an increase of 99 percent of internet penetration rate in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, it contributed to the goals of Vision 2030 to achieve international leadership in digital growth by investing more than SR93 billion as total capital investments in the digital infrastructure over the past six years, which placed Saudi Arabia among the leading positions in international indicators.

The IDI is published by the ITU to monitor the progress of the ICT sector since 2009, while providing inclusive and transparent data and methodology submitted by member states and experts in the field