Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- Experts from the Institute for Forecasting and Macroeconomic Research (IPMI) have compiled a rating for the development of information and communication technologies (ICT) by regions of Uzbekistan.

The conditions created in the regions are crucial for ensuring the inclusiveness of the digital economy. It is important to monitor the scale and dynamics of these opportunities to ensure that “digital opportunities” exist not only in the center, but also in the regions.

Digitalization can reduce the cost of moving people and goods, which in turn reduces the value of location for workers and businesses. As a result, technological progress in the regions can improve the quality and access to services, political participation, boost entrepreneurship and local labor markets, etc.

ICT contributes to the improvement of information management within the firm. They can reduce transaction costs and increase the speed and reliability of transactions for both business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) transactions.

Japan is one of the leading countries to consider teleworking as an alternative policy to boost the rural economy. If in 2017 13.9% of Japanese companies allowed their employees to work remotely, in 2021 this figure reached 51.9%.

In order to assess the state of ICT development in the context of the regions of Uzbekistan, experts from the Institute for Forecasting and Macroeconomic Research (IPMI) ranked the regions of Uzbekistan based on the ICT development index according to the ITU methodology.

The calculation was based on the ICT Development Index (IDI), which consists of 11 indicators divided into 3 groups: access to ICT, use of ICT and ICT skills.

The index is calculated for 2015-2021. The following results are obtained:

1. The average value of the index for Uzbekistan increased from 6.04 in 2015 to 6.96 in 2021.

2. In 2021, the top three included such regions as Tashkent (the index value is 9.28), Navoi (7.41) and Bukhara (7.06) regions.

3. During the study period, the largest increase in the index was noted in Khorezm (+1.20), Kashkadarya (+1.18), Namangan (+1.15) regions and in the Republic of Karakalpakstan (+1.12).

It is noteworthy that during the period under review, in all regions of Uzbekistan, except for the city of Tashkent, there is an increase in the absolute indicator of the index. The drop in the index in Tashkent may be explained by the initial high performance compared to other regions. But, despite this, in 2021 Tashkent retained a tangible superiority in the rating.

Summing up, it can be argued that the ICT development index for Uzbekistan allows for an in-country assessment of the development of the sector by regions and, due to a single indicator, to monitor development dynamics.