Tajikistan ranks 123rd out of 193 countries in the global e-government development index (EGDI), compiled by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, reports Asiaplus.tj.
The country’s current index is 0.5606, below the global average of 0.6382.
"Tajikistan faces challenges in improving e-government services due to limited digital infrastructure and low levels of digital literacy among the population, especially in rural areas," the report says.
The EGDI is a comprehensive index that assesses the level of digital development in countries. It includes the Online Services Index (OSI), which measures the availability and quality of e-government services, the Telecommunication Infrastructure Index (TII), reflecting the development of the technical base, and the Human Capital Index (HCI), indicating the population’s readiness to use digital technologies.
Compared to Tajikistan, neighboring countries are far ahead in digital development. Kazakhstan ranks 24th globally, actively developing its "e-Gov" platform and offering a wide range of online services.
Uzbekistan, now in 63rd place, is implementing the "Digital Uzbekistan 2030" strategy aimed at integrating digital technologies into all areas of government. Kyrgyzstan, in 78th place, is actively developing digital solutions in education and healthcare and improving citizens' access to government online services.
Poor and expensive internet
Tajikistan’s residents frequently complain about poor and expensive internet, as confirmed by global rankings.
According to the Speedtest Global Index for mobile internet speed as of February 2024, Tajikistan ranked 139th out of 143 countries, placing it fifth from the bottom. In the updated May 2024 ranking, Tajikistan was not listed, although it is unclear why the country was excluded.
For fixed broadband speed, Tajikistan ranks 124th out of 161 countries worldwide.
In the Mobile Data Affordability Index, which assesses mobile internet affordability based on the country’s average salary, Tajikistan ranks 163rd out of 179 countries.
To determine mobile data affordability, the authors compared the average cost of a monthly mobile phone plan ($13.77) with over 10 GB of data against the average salary ($170). As a result, residents spend 8% of their salary to purchase a plan with 10 GB of internet.
Among CIS countries, Russia ranks 26th in mobile internet affordability, Uzbekistan 43rd, Armenia 55th, Belarus 61st, Kazakhstan 63rd, Kyrgyzstan 90th, and Azerbaijan 114th.
Neighboring Afghanistan surpassed Tajikistan by two places in the ranking, landing at 161st.
Reports of slow internet speeds false?
At a press conference of the Communications Service on July 24, 2024, numerous questions from journalists about the reasons for the slow and expensive internet in Tajikistan received no concrete answers.
Rafiqjon Shokirov, acting head of the Communications and Information Department, stated that reports of slow and expensive internet in Tajikistan are "lies and fabrications."
He questioned the accuracy of reports from foreign ranking companies regarding internet speed, cost, and availability. According to him, these reports do not take all factors into account and are published to portray some countries in a negative light.
"In such studies, the total population of the country is usually taken into account. However, children under 5 years old, who make up almost 2 million of the country’s population and do not use communication services, are not excluded from the calculations," Shokirov said.
In his opinion, this indicator is not considered in other countries, "only in Tajikistan are children also counted."
According to the Service, 96.3% of the country’s population is currently provided with communication services.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
September 20, 2024