RIYADH — Saudi Arabia has made great progress in the United Nations e-commerce index moving to the forefront of the most developed countries in the index to be among the top 10 countries in the e-commerce sector. The index issued by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) ranked that the Kingdom 49th in the global ranking, advancing three places in the general index. The newly released report indicated that the improvement achieved by the Kingdom came in two criteria, the first one being the proportion of Internet use among individuals, witnessing a remarkable increase in the presence of an enabling and supportive digital structure, and contributing to the high prevalence of Internet use among individuals to 93%. The second one is the postal reliability standard, which enabled the liberalization of the postal and logistic services sector to achieve clear progress. The percentage of improvement jumped to 93% instead of 80%, according to the previous reading that took place in the past year, as this indicator depends on four pillars of measurement including reliability, access, connectivity, and flexibility. Minister of Communications and Information Technology Eng. Abdullah Al-Sawaha confirmed that this achievement reflected the advanced level reached by the communications and information technology sector in the Kingdom and has contributed to establishing a solid digital structure. "The ministry through its five-year strategy 2023, works with partners to develop the Kingdom's digital capabilities in the field of communications and information technology, to invest it in an optimal way in the growth of its future projects," he said. Minister of Commerce and Investment Dr. Majed Al-Qasabi said that this progress reflects the implementation of E-Commerce Council initiatives, which is aimed at enhancing consumer confidence in e-commerce, preserving and ensuring their rights and contributing to creating an attractive and stimulating environment for investors. — SPA
